


The time that Holly Potter became the Girl Who Fought Back

by DarkRaigeFire



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Blood Drinking, Dark Harry Potter, Dark Hermione Granger, Dark Lily, Dark Potters, Evil Albus Dumbledore, F/F, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, Good Tom Riddle, Grey Weasley Parents, Harry/Draco (Summer before 2nd Year), Harry/Snape (End Game), Harry/Twins (Third Year), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, Metamorphmagus Harry Potter, Multi, Obliviated Potters, POC Hermione Granger, Rape/Non-con Elements, Ron Weasley Bashing, Sane Voldemort (Harry Potter), Sirius Lives, Slow Burn, Soul Bond, Vampires, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkRaigeFire/pseuds/DarkRaigeFire
Summary: Harry had a choice, let go, or try again. Fate can spin back her wheel, and Death could give him a new life, but will it work this time? Holly Lillian-Grace Potter would be the one to find out if it was worth it.My own take on the try it again theme, MOD Holly Fem!Harry. I expect this will be a long run of a story, updating is going to be sporadic with well, the rona-times and life in general
Relationships: Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange, Daphne Greengrass/Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Charlie Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 19
Kudos: 230





	1. Prologue: The Little Master of Death

**Author's Note:**

> “Regular speech”  
>  _“Parseltongue”_  
>  _ **“Mental speech”**_
> 
> This is the first chapter! Hopefully I will be posting often between now and June, but I don't have a set schedule yet! Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy!

Prologue: The little Master of Death

Harry blinked back at Death, as the being stared into his soul, a shocked whisper coming out of his weary body. “You can do that? Let me do it again? Actually, _Save,_ everyone this time? Sirius? Remus and Tonks? Everyone?”

Death nodded, the dark void under the cloak seemed to smile, “Of course, you are my Master now, we have all the time in the world to get it right Little One”

A horse “... _please…”_ was all Harry could muster, tears forming in his eyes even as everything went dark once again.

Death lifted his scythe, Fate nodded and turned back her wheel.

Their game began again.

* * *

Chapter 1: Raindrops on Roses and Snakes in Wool Mittens

Holly Lillian-Grace Potter was a small girl, especially for an eleven-year-old. This was, in large part, down to how her relatives fed and treated her. The Dursleys would love nothing more than to have no knowledge of her at all, but alas, they were stuck with her after she was put on their doorstep one night after Hollys parents had died. Because of this they decided, in their infinite generosity, that the young girl would be put to work to earn her keep. This meant Holly cooking, cleaning, and whatever else her Aunt and Uncle could think for her to do, today, it was gardening, she was sat outside with her plate of leftovers from the large breakfast she had cooked, a few slices of toast and the most burnt ends of bacon.

Holly sighed as she ate, looking at the garden being scorched by the summer sun, and remembered her Aunts words, “If my roses die Freak, Vernon will take it out of your hide, you hear? You’ll be in that cupboard for a week with no food, now get out there!” she wondered how she was supposed to save anything in the yard with this heat, as everyone’s lawns where a parched yellow.

Finished with her meager meal, Holly stood and resolved to start with the weeding that needed to be done, before the heat soaked the ground enough to burn her hands while she pulled the plants. By the time she had finished with that the sun was reaching high in the sky at midday, so Holly sat under the shade of one of the bigger rose bushes, staring up at the slowly wilting roses. She wished desperately that she could save them, but the summer was hotter than normal, and they were in a draught, so she closed her eyes and tried not to think of the beating she would get for the bushes wilting.

Her eyes flew open as two things happened, firstly she felt the cool relief of raindrops gently hitting her face, and she saw that where there had been clear blazing blue skies, now was tumultuous and grey. Secondly, Holly heard the sibilant hiss of a nearby snake calling to her “ _Sssspeaker, you have made it rain! The nessstlingsss will not burn thiss year..”_

_“Oh! Hello again Sssilver tongue, what do you mean I made it rain? There’ssss no way I could have done that!”_ Holly looked down at the Albino Python that she had made friends with after someone had abandoned after it had grown too big.

Silver looked at her and seemed to snort, before glaring towards the house “ _sssspeaker, do you not know your own powersssss? All ssspeakerss can wield magic, it isss why you can sssssppeak to me. What do those two-leggerssss teach you when they do not hurt you nessstling?”_

Holly looked down as she spoke, _“That I’m a freak, I’m not to assssk questionsss, and mosssst importantly, Magic. Isssn’t. Real.”_ Looking at the serpent that had wound itself around her wrist in comfort _“I need to get back to my choressss sssoon Sssilver, you can join me though, and we can talk more while I work”_

The snake wrapped around Hollys arm, his white head poking out of her collar _“There issss no need to ssspeak on thissss matter more, Little One, you are reaching your eleventh-year tomorrow yesss? You will know what I mean then. But I will ssstay and keep you company until the two-leggersss return”_

Holly nodded at this, and began working again with the snake as her companion, the conversation quickly leaving her mind as she went through the chores given out from her Aunt. By the time Holly had laid down to go to sleep on her small cot in her cupboard, the sudden rain appearing had completely left her memory, leaving only her wishes that she could live somewhere that people loved her, and didn’t use her because she was different. She rubbed the words on her ribs ‘I will never lie to you’, wishing they were true as she faded to sleep. She was oblivious to the man who would speak them sat alone dreading the new school year in a grand castle many miles away, wondering if this was the year a student would speak his words, ‘Is it true Professor? You’ll never lie to me?’.

The next morning Holly woke to her usual alarm, her Aunt banging on the cupboard door “UP! Get up! I want breakfast done in 45 minutes!”

Letting out a dutiful “Yes Aunt Petunia...” Holly rose from her cot, grabbing the clothes she’d wear today, the nicest rags she’d been given, her own private acknowledgement of the day of her birth. Quickly returning from the restroom after bathing, Holly began making breakfast for her family on auto pilot. Setting out her Uncles coffee, and turning the bacon at the right points so that it wouldn’t burn before putting together the omelets for the three of them, setting aside the leftovers for her own small portion, the only day she could get away with such an act.

Even letting herself have a snarky “Make Dudley get it” when Uncle Vernon told her to get the post after Dudley refused, before running out to grab the post when her Uncle told Dudley to go after her with his Smeltings stick. Holly looked through the post, sorting what was for her Aunt and what was for her Uncle, when she came across a thick parchment envelope addressed to her.

“Ms. Holly LG Potter

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

Number 4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey”

Holly stood rooted to the spot, staring at the crest on the back of the parchment she wondered what Hogwarts was. Snapping back to reality when her Uncle yelled to her for taking so long, she realized that if she let them see the letter, she would never get to read it. Holly called back to them that she was on her way, making a bit more noise than normal on her way back to hide when she slipped the letter into her cupboard. Resolving to read the letter that night, Holly kept her head down the rest of the day, earning her a “new” thrift shop smock dress from her Aunt with the excuse that “You can’t be seen looking too freaky, it will draw attention to us.” And almost in a blink of the eye, Holly was looking at the red wax seal of the letter so specifically addressed to her, almost trembling at the thought of opening it.

As she was sliding her fingers under the flap to break the seal, Holly heard the soft voice of Silver Tongue outside _“Ssssspeaker…ssssssspeaker, you have your letter yesssss? Open the sslatssss ssso that I may come in.”_

_“Sssilver? What are you doing in the houssse?”_ Holly looked out the slats of the cupboard, as the white snake nudged his way inside. Holly sat back down letting Silver curl around her as she grabbed up her letter again, _“What do you think it isss Sssilver?”_

_“I have an idea Little One, but you mussst open it and find out”_ The snake nudged her hand and waited while Holly broke the seal, pulling out the main letter and smaller parchment that fell out.

Holly read out the letter quietly to Silver,

_“HOGWARTSss SssCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmassster: Albussss Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sssorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Ssupreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizardss)_

_Dear Msss. Potter,_

_We are pleassed to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwartss Ssschool of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclossed a lisst of all necessary booksss and equipment._

_Term beginss on 1 Ssseptember. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours ssincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress’_

_Ssilver? What iss thisss?”_ she looked down at the snake, a fearful hope in her eye.

Holly looked at the other parchment while the snake moved and settled around her neck, almost hugging the girl as he looked down at the letters in her lap _“There iss much to tell you ssspeaker, and you mussst trussst me.’_

_‘You are what my kind callsss a mage, as I have ssaid all ssspeakers are mages. I have heard of thisss place and I believe that your parentss where taught there. It issss a ssschool for young magelings where they teach you to control your powersss, like when you freed Ssstrong-death from the place of cages on the fat nestlings hatching day’_

He took a moment and looked up towards Holly as she continued to stare down at the letter in shock. He sighed, and nudged her _“Ssspeaker, you know what I ssay isss true, and you mussst have many questions, but we have much to do if we are going to get you into that sschool and away from thessse two-leggersss. Do you trusst me?”_

Holly looked to the snake and nodded _“I trussst you Sssssilver, what do we need to ssstart with??”_ she grabbed her papers closer to her and sat up preparing for whatever Silver had in mind.

The snake seemed satisfied with her reaction, settling himself more securely around her shoulders _“firssst we need to reply to your letter, ssso we musst get out of your prisssson room…do you remember the feeling you had when you freed Ssssstrong-death?”_

Furrowing her brow, Holly nodded _“Yesss, I remember wissshing that they were in Brazzil, and then my body felt warm, then it moved to my fingertipsss and the glassss disappeared”_ looking down at her parchment filled hands _“but how doess that help ussss get out of here?”_

Moving his head towards the door of the cupboard _“you mussst wisssh that door open Little One, let that warmth you remember flow through you and direct it to the lock”_

Resolving herself, Holly shifted towards the door, putting her hand on the lock and closing her eyes. She felt that familiar warmth begin building in her chest and arms, reminding her of all the times in the past that she had been under great stress and done impossible things. When she had ended up on the roof of the school while being chased by Dudley and his friends, her hair growing back after Aunt Petunia decided that it was too unruly and cut it like a boy. Whispering to herself, Holly willed the door to open so that she could leave “please, pleeease open!” before hearing a soft click and the door moving out from under her hands.

Opening her eyes, she almost couldn’t believe that it had worked, as she looked out into the hall _“Ssssilver! It worked!!”_ Holly slowly crawled out of the cupboard, listening for the sounds of her relatives sleeping, deeming it safe when she heard both Dudley and Vernons loud snores.

_“Yesss Little One, it worked, all the proof that you are a mage. Now, we must send your acceptance and do some work to keep you sssafe from your relatives’_ the snake seemed to spit this word out as he urged her to gather her things from the cupboard before nudging towards the front door of the house _‘until you make it to the school, after which you will never have to stay here again.”_

Shivering as she stepped out into the night, Holly looked up and down the street before looking down at Silver _“What’sss a muggle?”_

The snake curled around her collarbone gently hissing as he did _“A muggle little one, isss what the mage two-leggersss call thosse without the gift of magic, like your relationsss, you sshould try to remember thisss term when ssspeaking with other magesssss”_

Holly nodded at this, looking back to the street contemplatively, _“Which way do we go Silver?”_

_“To the curb little ssspeaker, and hold out your hand and think of your two legger massss transport, it’sss cold, sssso I will hide myself and ssssleep, assssk to go to the leaky cauldron, we will write your acceptance there”_

Holly nodded, and closed her eyes as she stuck out her hand and thought of a transit bus, feeling that familiar warmth running through her. Jumping from her reverie as she heard a loud bang and the screetching of brakes coming from a large offensively purple triple decker that had appeared in front of her. A scrawny pock faced young man stood in the seemingly waiting for her to say something, he must have noted her shock because he spoke and stood aside to invite her on. “Stan Shunpike, at your service little lady! Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, elven sickles to your destination, just thirteen if you’d like a nice warm hot chocolate, and fifteen sickles for your own hot water bottle and tooth brush, in the colour of your choosing o’course”

Holly stammered at the mention of what must have been a form of currency, while she and her meagre bag was ushered onboard, relief flooding through her when she heard a soft hiss by her ear. _“Check your pocket, thirteen sssicklesss, and if he assssks, your name is Lilian DeMort”_

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the small silver coins, and smiled shyly up at the man while speaking softly “To the Leaky Cauldron and a hot chocolate please sir”

Stan looked down at her and smiled back at her “O’course, come sit here and I’ll get that drink whipped up fer yah” He had barely gotten her sat down when there was another loud BANG, and they had taken off again, leaving Holly pushed back into the large armchair she had be led to, looking up at Stan in surprise as a mug of steaming liquid materialized in his hands “Your hot chocolate miss, spelled to not spill, since yer too young tah spell it yerself, I assume yer goin to meet yer parents miisss….?”

Holly tried not to sutter as she answered the young man who was obviously waiting for her to fill in her name for him “Thank you sir, and my name’s Lillian, Lillian DeMort, I’m meeting my parents at the Leaky Cauldron after visiting my muggle relatives, we’re going to go school shopping tomorrow since I got my Hogwarts letter last week!”

Stan nodded sagely at her explanations “Important time fer a young witch, letter time, we’ll let y’know when yer at yer stop, little Lillian” Holly sat mortified at the lies that flowed effortlessly from her mouth as Stan retreated. She was used to lying to teachers and adults about the bruises and lack of food from the Dursleys, but not about who she was in the first place. Resolving herself, she know she had to get used to lying about anything that might need it to keep her safe, not just about her beatings from her Uncle. 

She curled into herself with the mug of hot chocolate, rubbing her birthmark, and thinking about what she had learned so far today. Her snake friend who could talk, knew about magic and said she was a witch, she got a letter that proved that before using said magic to escape the Dursleys on the word of aforementioned snake that he had a way of taking care of her until magic school started, so that she didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys. And now she was on a magic bus and had met her first magic user, her head swirled with the implications of everything that had happened. But most importantly, a small seed of hope had taken root in her heart, as she flew away from Private Drive, unbeknownst to her, for the last time for many years to come.

Time passed in a blur after that to Holly, her mug of hot chocolate finished, she nodded off here and there, waking whenever a new stop was made, only to be woken from her daze by Stan shouting enthusiastically “LEAAAKY CAULDRON, ‘Ere now little Lillian, this’ll be your stop!” She felt Silver tongue stir under her dress as she muttered a thank you to the expectant attendant and stepped off the bus into the night air.

_“we’re here? Good. Go into the pub Little One, and tell the barkeep that you’re here for the DeMort booking, and your guardian will be arriving for you in the morning”_ Silver spoke, as he uncoiled himself from around her.

Holly nodded, more to herself than to the snake _“Okay Ssssilver”_ and she walked into the pub, shocked slightly at the dingy air that hung thick with the strange smoke coming from a group of old women smoking pipes in a corner. Few people turned to look at her, but quickly dismissed her, Holly hoped as just another new soon to be student at Hogwarts, while she made her way to the man standing behind the bar. 

Holly walked up to the bar, getting a better look at the man behind it, she saw that he was quite bald and somewhat reminded her of a toothless walnut, which put her slightly more at ease as he turned his attention down to her. “Ahh, Hello there, my name is Tom, I’m the inkeep here at the Leaky Cauldron, what can I do for you so late little lady?” he said as he leaned down over the bar to address her, the smile on his face doing nothing to conceal the concern behind his eyes.

Giving her best smile Holly looked back at the man and spoke just loud enough for him to hear “I’m here for the DeMort booking, sir, my parents have sent me ahead and will be meeting me in the morning, they finally gave into my desire to take the Knight Bus sir!” She did her best to put an innocent excitement into her voice and kept looking up at the man.

Tom looked rather surprised but relieved to here why she was at the inn “A right o’ passage that bus is I’d say, good on ‘em for letting you take it. Now little DeMort, did yer parents give you anything for me to use to confirm the booking? Fer my records o’course”

Holly did her best to not panic at the barmans words before she heard Silvers soft hiss again _“in you pocket little Holly, theressss a ring, let him take an impresssssion and get it back”_

Nodding her head as if she where responding to Tom, she reached into her pocket and did indeed find a ring. Pulling it out she handed it to the man smiling up at him as the picture of innocence once again “Oh! Of course, this ring sir, for an impression, I’ll need it back please”

Waving his hand he smiled at Holly as a book floated over “No worries, little DeMort, alls I need is an impression of it” Tom put the ring to a page in the front of the thick book, and Holly watched amazed as the page glowed a soft gold as the man nodded to himself and sent the book away “All right, looks like everything is in order little miss, I’ll take you to your room now, and here’s your ring, just make sure to bring your parents over to meet me in the morning once they get ‘ere yes?”

He stepped out from behind the bar and smiled down at Holly as he handed her the ring back, she took it gratefully as he led her up to her room. She looked up to the man smiling “Okay sir! I can do that, I’m sure they’d be happy to stop by and say hello after I meet up with them in the morning” Holly stopped short as they reached her room and Tom opened the door, staring agape at the large room and bed bigger than the Dursleys smallest bedroom.

The Innkeep looked down at her fondly “Well here you are little DeMort, I would suggest right to bed after cleaning yourself up, the bathroom is through that door to the left” He gestured to a door Holly hadn’t noticed until now “I’ll leave you to it, and if you need anything, simply tap that owl by the door and ask for whatever it is you want, yeah?”

Holly nodded as she stepped into the room and Tom closed the door behind her, leaving her to her dazed amazement. She walked further into the room, staring at the low crackling fire in the fireplace as she sat down on the most comfortable bed she had ever felt, not that that was saying much. Barely noticing as Silver Tongue slipped out of her dress and came to rest in front of the fire taking in the shocked state of the young witch. The snake sighed and resolved to give her one last shock during the night and get her acceptance letter written.

_“Little One, I know thissss hass been a very shocking night, but we have one lassst task, and I have one last thing to sshow you before the night is done and you can sssleep.”_ Silver seemed to pull himself into a sitting position as he looked towards Holly, making sure he had her attention, before the air around the reptile seemed to shimmer and wave around him. Holly could only stare on in continued shock as the snake changed before her eyes into a tall thin man, with pale skin and the whitest hair, clothed in an inky black suit, pale pink eyes staring solemnly at the young girl. “You must have many questions, ask them and I will do my best to answer them to your satisfaction, but then we must write your acceptance, and you need to sleep, for it has been a long day”

Wide eyed the girl looked at the man now sitting in front of her, lit from behind by the low fire. “I don’t know where to start...how are you a man? Who are you? Is your name really Silver tongue? Why haven’t you helped me before this? Why are you helping me now? What’s going to happen now? Is Hogwarts really real?” the words rushed out of her before Holly finally deflated and whispered “…are you going to leave me? I can’t do this alone, there’s so much I don’t know…”

The man looked down for a moment before standing up, showing Holly that he was even taller than she had thought he was, and he made his way to kneel down in front of her “I am known as Silver Tongue in my snake form, I am known by many names, Azrael, Odin, Anubis, Hades, Aidoneus, Pluto. I could continue, but to you little master, I am Aidoneus DeMort, I can become a man because I am not really a snake, and I can become a snake because of Magic, not unlike the power which you hold, but much more ancient.

He took her hands and looked deep into Holly’s eyes “I have not helped you before now because it was outside of my abilities, I am tied by laws much more ancient and deep than any one being alive today can understand, and I am helping you now, because the time has come that I am able, though what I will be able to do from here out will be limited and rare after tomorrow. I am tied to you and bound to serve you once you understand the full extent of your powers, and I am to guide you through your life until you reach your goal, which you will find out on your own along the way.”

“What is going to happen now, is that I will help you send your letter, and tomorrow, I will help you be free of your relatives and have the ability to care for yourself until you find the family who will take you in as their own. Hogwarts is indeed real Little One and on the first of September you will be on your way there to learn and grow.” Aidoneus stood, bringing Holly with him as he walked to a table and set of chairs set off to the side of the fire “I will not permanently leave you, though there are times where I will not be able to be with you physically, just know that I will always be watching out for you, and in times of true need you won’t be alone ever.”

He sat Holly down in the bigger and plusher of the two chairs while he sat down in the other and waved his hand, a parchment and pen appearing on the table between them “Now Little One, if those answers satisfy you for now, we need to get your letter written before we both forget all about it, and we will have plenty of time to speak more about this after tomorrow. I can help you with what to say, though you must write it on your own and send it off with an owl”

Holly sat and took in all that the man, Aidoneus, had told her, with everything that had happened, most would think she had gone mad, but she knew it all to be true in her heart. It explained so many things in her life, and there seemed to be something ancient and all-knowing inside of her that made her believe that everything the man was telling her was the truth. So she steeled herself and took the pen and parchment, and with that little seed of hope in deep in her glowing brighter she looked up to him and spoke “Alright, I believe you, and as long as you promise to keep being here for me, I’ll keep trusting you. What should I say in reply?”

The night went quickly after that, the man helping her pen a forgettable affirmative to Hogwarts, accepting her spot in the school, and summoning an owl black as the night to their window, to take her letter to the deputy headmistress. Once that was done, Holly sat in the chair and yawned, prompting Aidoneus to stand and usher her towards the bed once again “You need your rest Little One, in the morning we will have much to do to keep you safe and away from those so called relatives.” Holly walked with him, exhaustion dripping off of her, only stopping short when she had a sinking realization that almost make her want to cry on the spot

“I..I don’t have bed clothes Aidoneus, Only this dress, I couldn’t fit any of my clothes in if I wanted to take my other things” She clutched the small bag resting at her hip closer to her, having almost forgot about it, though it contained everything she cared about. Of which there wasn’t much, a small snake ring she had found and hid away, as it had reminded her of Silver tongue, a book of poems that she had managed to keep one year that Dudley had tossed away, and a small lily broach that Holly had saved when her aunt Petunia had found it while spring cleaning and angrily tossed it away, muttering about freaks.

The man looked down at her and smiled softly “I see little master, well, try not to worry too much, I can summon a pair for you, and we can look into getting you a full wardrobe tomorrow, when we go to sort out everything else.” He waved his hand once again as he spoke, and on the large bed appeared a shimmering set of pajamas, softer than anything Holly had touched when she reached out to them, pulling them close with a look of awe “I will turn away whilst you change and set your things away for you”

Aidoneus took her bag and true to word turned studiously away from Holly and took great pains to set her meager belongings up on the dresser as if he where placing the most important pieces of art the world had seen. Feeling a warmth she had never felt before, Holly changed into the pajamas, smiling down at the silken shirt and pants that seemed to swirl with the same unfathomable inky darkness as Aidoneus’ clothes. Folding her thrift store dress neatly, she set it aside, and smiled up at the man, “Okay, I’m changed, you can look now”

Nodding he carefully gave one last adjustment to the small ring, making the snakes face point out over the room as if it were taking up guard, he turned back to her, helping her into the middle of the large bed as he spoke softly “Good, now it is time for sleep Little One, I will be here in the morning when you wake”

Holly tried to protest, more questions about the next day on her lips, but a heaviness overcame her, and sleep claimed her at last, leaving a muttered “...A..aidoneus…” in its wake. And for the first time in Hollys short life, she slept soundly and dreamlessly through the rest of the night, only waking to the new sounds of the bustle of the shops outside in the morning air, and the smell of bacon and other breakfast items filling the room, making her stomach growl in protest.

“Good morning Little One, we have a busy day ahead of us, so I thought to have breakfast prepared before you awoke” Holly blinked blearily towards the sound of Aidoneus’ voice, as she pawed for her glasses. Blinking at the sight of the platters set out on the table next to the fire place, and seeing Aidoneus sat elegantly in the smaller chair, drinking tea, and dressed in a new midnight blue suit and set of black robes like those she had seen others in the pub below wearing.

She stumbled out of the bed and over to the large chair, taking in the food before her, hesitating and wondering how much she could take for herself, before resolving to just ask “How much of this is for me? I don’t want to take more than I’m allowed” Holly spoke softly as she fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, noticing that the color has changed from an inky darkness to a gorgeous dark blue with pale streaks of light treading through it.

Unable to bring herself to look at her new guardian as she heard a sigh coming from him, readying herself for the punishment that was sure to come for the brazen question, Holly was shocked when instead she heard his soft voice filling the room “Little One, you won’t take more than you are allowed, because this is all for you, I want you to know this here and now, you will never have to worry about how much you are allowed to eat, all that I ask of you is to eat slowly so as to not make yourself sick”

No words came to her mind as she peeked up at him through her bangs, she simply nodded and began filling the plate in front of her, taking a small portion of eggs and bacon, and a few slices of toast with jam. Holly began eating as he smiled down at her “Good, now for today, we are going to the wizarding bank called Gringotts, it is down in the alley behind the pub, the creatures that run it will help us free you from your relatives, and set everything up going forward so that you never have to go back.”

Aidoneus steepled his fingers as he looked over to her “I will warn you; the Goblins are not kind beings, they are fierce, calculating, and unwavering in their ways. Though if you prove yourself a valuable ally and smart enough to match their wits, you will find they are invaluable to have at your back’

‘We will go to them to sort out your guardianship, and make sure that you are in proper health, once we have done that, we will have your accounts freed from whomever is holding them since your parents deaths, and we will be able to set you up with room and board here, or elsewhere if you wish, until you are to board the train to Hogwarts” He watched Hollys face carefully as he explained these details to her while she ate, feeling satisfied that she remained contemplative until her parents where mentioned “you have a question? Go ahead and ask Little One”

Swallowing the last of her toast, Hollys brow furrowed as she looked up at the pale man, “What do you mean by my accounts? I thought my parents were drunks who died in a car crash?”

Sighing again, Aidoneus rubbed his temples as he continued “ahhh yes, how could I forget. Your parents Little One, where not drunks, who died in a car crash as your relatives have told you. They were mages, like you, and they were killed, in a war that I believe that the goblins will be able to explain better than I, suffice to say they were powerful in their own right, and left you the Potter fortune, meaning, if all is well, you will never have to worry about wanting for anything, let alone food and clothes, for the rest of your not inconsiderable lifetime”

Holly stared, once again taking in what she felt was not to be the last shock she would be getting today “So you’re saying that I’m rich? What would I even do with all that money??”

“Indeed, you are Little One” He vanished the left-over food as he spoke, seeing that she had finished her meal “as to what you would do with it? That is up to you, I have a feeling that whatever you decide, it will be worthwhile, now we have much to do, let’s get you cleaned up and ready for the day”

Leading her to the bathroom, Holly gaped again at the size of the bathroom before her, a large tub that could fit five or more people sat in the middle, along with a large shower off to the side, towels and other bathing accessories lined the countertop of the sinks and mirror that took most of the other wall leading to a partially walled of area for the toilet. Aidoneus chuckled at her expression “Use the shower for now, there will be plenty of time later for you to enjoy the bath, once you’re done, you’ll find a fresh set of clothes waiting for you on the counter, as before, I’ll be waiting for you by the fire.”

Holly nodded dumbly at him as he closed the door on her, turning to look at the room before her she made her way to the shower that was big enough to fit five of her. Undressing and folding her pajamas neatly on the counter, Holly came back to the shower and boggled at the nobs on the wall, settling for just warm water, she quickly went through and smelled the different shampoos and body washes, settling on a set that smelled of peaches and cherry blossoms. Turning on the shower, she fiddled with the different nobs before finding a setting she liked, letting the water wash over her like heavy rain fall. Holly went through the stages of getting clean, washing her hair before covering herself in the body wash, letting the bubbles get washed away. A feeling of having her past, even everything up to last night, simply washed away from her, Holly had never felt this light or hopeful as she stepped out of the shower and dried off.

Getting dressed in the dress and robes that where sitting next to her new pajamas, looking at herself in the mirror, just the hot shower, full meal, and new clothes made her almost unrecognizable to herself. Her cheeks had a healthy color and the deep emerald dress and robes with golden threading brought out the startling color of her eyes. Her hair fell in soft waves for once instead of chaotic curls that stuck out everywhere, though she was still very small for her age, and visibly a touch too thin. Smoothing down the robes, Holly stepped out and looked to Aidoneus who was sitting in the smaller armchair once again, reading her book of poetry. He looked up and nodded approvingly at her appearance “The green suits you Little One, as does your book, though I imagine for less positive reasons, ‘Do not go gentle...’”

“’Into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day’ It’s one of my favorites in the book, it kept me holding on through everything” Holly looked down unsure of what to say next to the man who had taken her away from that life.

She heard Aidoneus stand up and move in front of her, his cold pale hand gently lifting her chin up “I cannot say you will never again have hard times in your life Little One, but I swear to you that you will never endure what those muggles put you through again.” He stood tall, looking down at her with something akin to a smile, and she imagined that the expression was as close as he had gotten to one in a long time. “Now I do believe I have an Inn keep to meet to keep up pretenses, and we have a bank to get to swiftly after, so let us put such thoughts out of mind and begin our day for we have much to accomplish”

She nodded up at him as he turned and lead her from the room, they made their way down into the pub, Holly once again staring in amazement as she saw a woman cleaning a room with magic, a broom sweeping around the room on its own while the woman stood against the door reading a book floating in front of her. Aidoneus lead them up to the bar as they made it downstairs, Holly took in the pub in the morning light, and found that it was much more inviting people bustling through the back door to go shopping, or trailing tired and worn out children behind them laden with the days spoils. There were a few stragglers sitting bleary eyed at the tables eating breakfast as her new guardian walked up to Tom with a disarming smile.

“Hello! I hear from my daughter you wished to meet me? Unfortunately, my wife has come down with a nasty case of wizarding flu, she is understandably on bed rest per our healer’s orders,” He patted Holly gently on the head to bring her attention back to the conversation with the charmed Innkeeper “I am Aidoneus DeMort, you have of course met my daughter Lillian, thank you for getting her checked in and to our room safely”

Tom looked between the two with a wide smile “Ah! So good to meet you, sorry to ‘ere ‘bout the wife, but it happens to the best of us! I’m glad to see young Lillian with one of ‘er parents, I hear she got to ride the knight bus, good ol’ right o’ passage that is, off to do ‘er ‘ogwarts shopping?”

Holly responded with a wide smile while Aidoneus answered the man “Yes, indeed, she got her letter almost a week ago, and has been talking about it nonstop since, so we decided to take her early as a treat and so she could get a head start on her studies,” He nodded to the door “though as such we do have a long day ahead of us, so I do hope you’ll pardon us for leaving swiftly this morning”

Nodding happily Tom waved them out of the pub “Not to worry, ‘ave a good day out!” Whilst Aidoneus lead them out the back to an ally way capped off with a brick wall.

Looking up at the pale man, Holly was about to ask how they were to get to the shops ahead with the wall bricked up, when he simply looked down at her and put a thin finger to his lips before tapping some of the bricks in what she assumed to be an important pattern with his other hand. As he finished, Holly watched in amazement while the bricks in front of her faded away revealing the bustling ally to her. The smell of fresh bread in the morning air mingling with the excited chatter of the early shoppers going to and fro while they did their errands.

Watching Holly as she took in the sights before her, Aidoneus leant down and whispered to her “Welcome to Diagon Alley Holly, and to the start of your new life Little One”


	2. Goblin King, Goblin King, Wherever you may be!

Gently grabbing her hand, Aidoneus began leading her past the shops and towards Gringotts while she took in the many sights and sounds of the ally. The early morning made the walk an easy one, and the pair quickly came upon the bank, stopping short at the entrance, Holly snapped out of her awed reverie. She took in the grand entrance in front of her, the large white marble building gleamed and towered over everything else in the allies around them. Large bronze doors loomed in front of her, guarded by a proud, vicious looking creature that Holly assumed must be a Goblin, she turned to Aidoneus speaking softly. “This is Gringotts then?”

The skeletal man nodded down to the small girl, his endless smooth baritone rumbling out over the morning noises around them “Indeed it is Little One, I wish to remind you once again, that Goblins are a proud and clever race Holly, they are not to be disrespected nor underestimated” Nodding his head towards the doors of the foreboding building he spoke more gently “Are you ready Little One?”

Holly took a steadying breathe and nodded up at the man, as he took up her hand again and lead them through the doors. Entering the great building they came to a second set of doors guarded by two more fierce looking Goblins. The Silver doors where etched with words that Holly quietly read aloud to herself as they walked through the large entry hall

“Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.”

Nodding once again to her “Indeed Little One, I hope you take heed, but know that you are always safe with me”

Feeling a warmth spread through her at the man’s words, Holly smiled up at him as they began walking again, coming through the large silver doors to a grand room lined with teller desks. Behind each desk sat a proud Goblin, looking down on the wizarding patrons as she and Aidoneus walked past, her new guardian confidently heading straight to one of the last tellers at the other end of the room, who obviously was more important than the rest of them. The Goblin in question was more finely dressed than the others and sat just a tad higher, he said nothing as they walked up, merely quirking an eyebrow as Aidoneus came to a stop before him.

Pulling out a shimmering bone white key, Aidoneus spoke to the Goblin with a blank face and rather impassive tone “I’m here to access the DeMort Vaults, and to conduct some business on the behalf of my new ward” at his words a golden key appeared next to the white one as he passed them to the Goblin.

Hiding his shock well, the Goblin simply took the keys with and with a low tone and vicious smile intoned “Of course Sir, as long as everything is in order I will lead you back to the managers office” Holly watched with interest as the keys where pressed into a parchment in front of the Goblin, both briefly glowing a pale blue color. Looking awed and disappointed all at the same time, the Goblin stood and motioned to them to follow. “Everything is in order, please follow me”

They were led past the last of the tellers and into a corridor of offices, each looking more important than the last, the wizards inside beginning to take note of them with barely concealed envy as they where lead to the final office in the hall. The windows showing a large elegant room with a Goblin larger than any that Holly had seen yet, sitting behind a grand desk. They came to a stop as the Teller rapped on the door bearing the name Ragnok, a sharp “Enter” ringing out to them as the Goblin opened the door. Stepping aside he allowed Holly and Aidoneus to enter the room, the man gently leading Holly in front of him as they were announced to Ragnok.

“Aidoneus DeMort and his ward the Potter heir Sir” Holly gave Aidoneus an alarmed look as they sat down, but stayed quiet as he gave her a calming pat, keeping his attention on Ragnok in front of them.

The Goblin nodded to them as the door closed, “No need to worry little Potter heir, no one here will reveal your identity, I am Ragnok, Bank Manager and the overseer of the DeMort Vaults, I have to say, you are back sooner than we had expected Lord Aidoneus” Files appeared on the desk in front of Ragnok, he pulled them close looking over them briefly before speaking again “I understand you have found your ward then? That does explain it, what business do we need to get sorted today?”

He watched Aidoneus, barely looking up from the files as the man spoke “Indeed your Majesty’ seeing Hollys confused look, he turned to her, ‘Not many care to learn, but the Bank manager is the King of the Goblins tribe here in Great Britain, and only looks after the oldest and most important accounts, made in the founding of Gringotts bank’ nodding at his explanation, he continued his response to Ragnok ‘As I was saying, yes little Holly here is my ward, we are here to get everything in order for her to live away from her muggle… _family_ ” almost spitting out the word, Aidoneus continued “before she begins her education at Hogwarts, I would also like to make sure that she has access to the DeMort vaults and that the Potter accounts are in order”

Sitting back Ragnok looked between the two of them and nodded once “Of course, first things first, we must scan heiress Potter for any compulsions or other magics, as a precaution for consent due to her age.” He looked at Holly at this “Do you consent to this miss Potter? The scan won’t be painful, but it will reveal your truthfulness in this matter, and if there are any magics active on you besides yours”

Looking to Aidoneus, Holly nodded her assent at his reassuring smile “I consent Lord Ragnok, what do I need to do?” she looked at the intimidating Goblin while she spoke, trying to keep as calm as she could under his gaze.

Seeming to approve of her small show of bravery Ragnok stood and walked around the large desk coming to a silver circle laid into the floor to the left of the room “Come stand in this circle miss Potter, once you are settled, I will speak the incantation and the magic will scan you for any spells, potions, or other magical means of influencing you, as well as anything that it simply not your own magic.” Holly took a steadying breathe as she stood up and walked over to the circle, stepping inside she felt a slight change in the air, as if a hum had suddenly been muffled.

Looking up to the Goblin, she stilled herself and nodded at him before he began speaking in a guttural language, a parchment flew up to the edge of the circle and started filling with words as colors began to flash over her. She felt no pain as the magic flowed over her, simply feeling it caressing over her skin, seeming to gently press and prod different parts of some deep well in her. Something kept her from asking about what the spell was looking for simply taking in the different colors before they suddenly flashed a mix of angry red and black before fading completely.

Looking between Aidoneus and Ragnok, even Ragnok looked concerned before schooling his face and gesturing back to the chair she had occupied, “Ah, yes, well it seems we will have much to talk about, please sit and I will go over the results with you miss” He took the parchment that was still floating outside the silver circle as Holly stepped back to her chair. Once they where all settled again Ragnok steeped his hands together and read through the parchment quickly while they waited. Sighing he looked back up “The good news is that Holly is here of her own will, the bad news is that there are many spells and compulsions on the young girl, I will have the list read off, once done we can go over the options going forward” He tapped the parchment with a long finger and it rose up in front of them.

It seemed to shiver for a second before a soft voice floated from it “The following magics are active on the subject: Holly Lillian-Grace Potter’

‘Magic Syphoning from one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter to one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.’

‘Magic Dampening on one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter’

‘Loyalty Compulsion from one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter to one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’

‘Dark Magic Revulsion on one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter’

‘Light Magic Compulsion on one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter’

‘Knowledge Gain Block on one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter’

‘Magical Talent Block on the following Talents of one Holly Lillian-Grace Potter:

‘Metamorphmagus Talent inherited from the Potter line’

‘Magic Sight Talent inherited from the Evans line’

‘Parseltongue Talent inherited from Tom Marvelo Riddle’

‘Building Familiar for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Potter line through Gryffindor and Slytherin lineage’

‘These magics where cast by the following persons: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore”

Holly sat in shock, not quiet understanding everything the parchment had reported, but from the looks of concern and anger on the two men’s faces she knew it couldn’t be good. Aidoneus sat stiff, the anger evident in the pale lines of his face leaning forward he looked directly at the Goblin and Holly noticed that his robes which had been a shimmering dark blue had shifted to a disorienting tumultuous black. He took a deep breath before speaking in one of the most chilling voices Holly had ever heard “Please explain what these mean and what we can do about them, in terms that Holly can understand as well please, she was raised by muggles”

Ragnok nodded steeping his long fingers once again “Well, miss Potter, simply put each of the things listed here are different things to make you behave and act a certain way. As well as to steal your magic and keep you from reaching your full potential.” The Goblin sighed deeply before continuing, “The person responsible is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, it seems that he intends for you to be a pawn in his games. There is much to explain to you about the current affairs in the world and you place in it miss Potter.’

‘Many years ago, there was a great war after the rise of a new Dark Lord, during this war, a prophecy came about naming a child to be his downfall. This led the Dark Lord to attack the family and attempt to kill the child, that child,” Ragnok looked at Holly then, making sure her attention was completely on him “Holly was you. You are the only known Magus to have survived the killing curse, resulting in the defeat and disappearance of the Dark Lord, this has made you famous to wizarding kind.’

‘It seems that you where sent to live with your Mothers muggle sister, as opposed to the people stated as guardians in their will, I am having that brought up along with the account manager for the Potter vaults so that we can review any other discrepancies. My best assumption is that Dumbledore along with many others do not believe that the Dark Lord is gone permanently and will be back, and thus is attempting to mold you in an image that suits his needs.’ A knock sounded at the door prompting Ragnok to once again bark ‘Enter!” The door opened to reveal another Goblin floating a small stack of folders and papers behind him.

“I’m reporting with the Potter account files Lord Ragnok” Ragnok waved the new Goblin to the side of his desk, motioning for him to put the papers in front of him.

Looking to the other Goblin briefly, Ragnok began speaking again “Now with that very quick summary, we shall move onto what we can do about these spells on you Holly, due to the nature of them, we would like to document them, and preform a cleansing ritual. The ritual would be done before any other matters where attended to if you consent miss Potter” He pulled out a smaller parchment and floated it and a quill to Holly, “This is an agreement for us to do the ritual, it outlines what will be done, and that at this time we will not be charging a fee for it due to the criminal circumstances and your age, please read this and sign it”

Holly took the paper and began reading over it, quickly getting lost in the jargon and magical terms that she didn’t understand yet. She thought for a moment, not wanting to show even more weakness with everything that had just been revealed to her. Looking to Ragnok she came to a decision, hoping it would play out the way that she wanted after hearing Aidoneus’ warnings. She took a breath, keeping eye contact with the impressive Goblin “I understand the need for me to sign this, but being raised in the…muggle?’ Ragnok nodded at her implied question, ‘Muggle world, as well as only being eleven, I really can’t understand everything that this paper is lining out for the ritual, would you be willing to explain it for me? While I have Aidoneus read through the paper and confirm what you tell me?”

Ragnok and the other Goblin both considered her with calculating eyes for a moment, before the ban manager nodded at her with what she assumed was an approving smirk. “A wise request miss Potter, one that is acceptable to me’ he paused for a moment as Holly passed the parchment to Aidoneus, who took it with a proud smile, though she could still see the anger at the situation in his stiff posture. ‘This ritual miss Potter, will be in a side chamber in the bank, it will be preformed by specialist Goblin healers who will be working over you in a silver ringed purification pool’

She furrowed her brow at this and Ragnok held his hand up to pacify her ‘This is essentially a large shallow pond ringed by a silver circle like the one you stepped in for the scan, it will aide in the purification process and assure that no malicious magics leak away in the process. The rest of the contract simply states that if there are any complications that we are not able to account for, of which I do not expect, you will not hold us accountable as long as we do everything in our powers to mitigate them” He gave a nod to Aidoneus who had finished reading the parchment, the Goblin folded his hands as he waited for the man to agree.

Aidoneus smiled over to Holly, “Lord Ragnok is correct in his assessment, and be assured I will be with you in the room, assuming that is allowed of course?’ He looked to Ragnok at this, who merely nodded at the question. ‘Do you have any other questions Holly?”

Having taken back the paper from Aidoneus, Holly signed and thought for a moment, looking to the new Goblin that had come in, “I’d just like to be introduced to the Potter account manager properly before we proceed?”

“Ah of course, miss Potter, this is Griphook, he is the manager for the Potter accounts currently,’ Griphook inclined his head to Holly at this, but kept silent. ‘once the ritual is done, we will be going over the accounts to find any potential irregularities that likely have stemmed from Dumbledore’s actions’

Standing Ragnok gestured to a side door to the right of the room “if you will, the ritual room is through this door, I have already signaled out healers to be ready’ The door opened and as Holly stood the signed parchment rolled up out of her hands and floated into Griphooks hands. Aidoneus lead Holly through the door past Ragnok into a bright empty room that immediately put her at ease simply by walking in. Ragnok spoke again as they came fully into the room ‘Please remove your outer robes miss Potter, as well as your shoes and the healers will direct you from here”

Holly nodded and gently folded her swirling green robe and set it to the side of the room and place her trainers next to it, looking into the room properly as she turned around. The bright room was bear of anything but a large shallow clear pool, emitting a gentle glow and surrounded by a ring of silver similar to the one in Ragnok’s office but larger to encompass the pool. A group of five Goblins, robed in white, entered the room from the other end, four of them fanning out and taking places around the pool.

The fifth came to their group before smiling as gently as Holly figured a Goblin could, nodding to them before looking directly at her, “ah young miss Potter, I understand the ritual has been quickly explained to you, if you follow me I will lead you through what we will be doing and any potential affects you may feel during and after’

Holly nodded and followed the Healer towards the circle as they began explaining the ritual ‘Our part is simple, we will be preforming a spell that removes any unwanted magics that are laid upon you, the amount of time will be dependent upon how much and how strong the spells may be” nodding to the pool, she directed Holly to enter it while still speaking. “Please wade into the center of the pool and sit however you feel comfortable. For your part of this, while we preform the ritual you will likely feel a surge in your magical powers as they are returned to you, please be assured that any accidental magic from you will not harm anyone in the room thanks to the pool and circle.’

‘You may feel some pain depending on how the spells where cast originally, but you will not be in danger due to it, if there are any malicious after effects they will be pulled in by the pool.” Holly sat down in the surprisingly warm and soothing waters, nodding to the Healer as she spoke, they smiled again to her “If you are ready we will begin, please do your best to simply relax through the process and stay inside the pool” Nodding once again Holly closed her eyes as the Goblins around her started chanting in the same guttural language that she had heard earlier in the office.

She almost immediately felt the power of the magic flowing over her, but it wasn’t until a minute or so in that she felt any other effects, as a sudden rush of power slammed into her. It dove into a deep well she could feel somewhere in the center of her consciousness, as it did something seemed to unlock inside the well filling it even further. The power felt like it was overflowing in her body and she opened her eyes to see a golden glow flowing into her from the ceiling and looked at her hands to see they where emitting the same glow. Part of her wanted to be scared by this but something kept her calm as she looked around the rest of the room, noticing similar glows around her, most notably the darkness that seemed to tightly swirl around Aidoneus. Pulsing around him she could see that it shifted colors but was always just a touch away from black, as if the colors where constantly being eaten by it.

Looking away Holly noted the white and blue glows coming from the healers surrounding the circle and her before a sudden pain over took her, a splitting sensation coming from her forehead as she was bowed down by it. Not getting to see the flashes of concern from the healers, she only barely recognized Aidoneus’ voice joining in their chat with a strange one of his own. The pain continued to wrack her as she heard a pained hiss as something pulled out of her “ _NO, IT ISSS NOT TIME! I WILL NOT LEAVE THISSS VESSSSEL”_ Holly tried to pull herself together around the pain, instinctively pulling power from her overflowing well to push at the thing that was being pulled away. Hearing and feeling a sudden pop, Holly sagged down and heard the Goblins cease their chant but Aidoneus continue, the power from his words keeping the thing trapped.

She looked up to see a smoky shape twitching and shuddering in Aidoneus’ hold as the man stopped speaking and held his hand out. The shape gave a pained scream and twisted down into a small shard of pulsing light held in his hand “Ah…a Horcrux, of course, well little shard, you and I will be having words later, for now, please wait for me to have the time to deal with you properly, as I have other matters to attend to.” He looked to Holly then who watched as the shadow simply disappeared into Aidoneus’ hand, he took in her exhausted state in the pool before speaking to the healers “Is the ritual complete then?’ at their nods he walked forward into the pool, kneeling down before her ‘You are very strong Little One, there was an unexpected magic in you, but you fought it well, and now we can finish our business here, are you up for walking back to the office?”

She looked up at him, feeling surprisingly light and free, as if a weight she didn’t even know she had been carrying was gone, and nodded “I’m ready I think, I actually feel better then I have in a long time!” She stood, feeling the change in herself, the power having settled inside her though now she could feel it in a way she hadn’t before, and she still saw light shimmers of what she assumed was the magic sight the earlier spell had mentioned. Turning to the healers as she stepped out of the pool, she noticed they where making their way out, so she hurried to thank them “Excuse me, I’m sorry but I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you all for doing this, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!”

This earned her shocked looks from all of them, as the healer from earlier turned back to her and bowed their head at her. “Your thanks are accepted miss Potter, though we were merely doing our jobs as healers, we hope that you can now prosper and make your enemies quake in the wake of your coming”

Aidoneus held a hand at her back and responded “And we hope that your gold continues to grow with your power” The healer gave a more vicious smile this time, and nodded leaving with the rest of their group. Holly turned back towards Ragnok as he stood at the door leading back to his office, noticing that the glow around him was a deep purple, holding tightly to the Goblins body as her and Aidoneus gathered her things and walked past back into the office.

Nodding to Griphook, Holly sat back in the chair she had taken earlier in the day, waiting for the others to get settled as she puzzled over the shadowy shape that had been taken out of her. Seeing that Aidoneus had been seated along with Ragnok, she did her best to put the questions she had for her new guardian aside until later. Griphook sat forward capturing the rooms attention, “Now that we are done with that, I have the Potter accounts ready for review, along with the will of Lily and James, already I have identified possible irregularities stemming from Dumbledore’s interference’

‘Currently I have found three items of note, including the execution of the will, I will be going through each item by severity of the offence to the Potter accounts.” Tapping a set of scrolls, he looked back up at them and began reading from a large one that had floated up and unfurled in front of him “In the execution of the will, you where placed with Lily Potters sister Petunia Dursley and her family, this was not supposed to happen. In order, you where to go to your Godfather Lord Sirius Black, Lord and Lady Longbottom, or Lord and Lady Malfoy, you where placed with the Dursleys after a document was submitted with Lord Blacks magical signature stating that the familial blood wards from Lady Potters death, would keep you safe’

‘We now believe that this was a fabrication made by Dumbledore in light of Lord Blacks incarceration. We would like to get an accounting of your treatment at the Dursleys house so that we could investigate with the proper severity your misplacement in their abode, this can of course wait until we finish today” Holly nodded, blanching at the thought of having to let others know what she had been through at the Dursleys, not even having told Aidoneus when she thought he was Silver-Tongue. “Next we have found that the Dursleys have been receiving two hundred Galleons a month, approximately one thousand British Pounds a month in muggle currency.’

‘This was approved beginning when you where five years old, via a letter, again, from Dumbledore, with your magical imprint as consent, for the purpose of your upkeep” Seeing the confused look on Hollys face, Griphook continued, “I can see that this was likely taken under false pretenses, this will be investigated along with the will then. Lastly, five Potter grimoires have been taken from the Potter vaults, all of a dark magic nature, and where delivered once again to Dumbledore, after a written request was made, again bearing your magical imprint, so that they, and I quote ‘May be kept for safekeeping out of the wrong hands’ this I also assume to be false. These seem to be the only real irregularities with the Potter accounts currently, but I have no doubt that there would probably be more requests with ‘your’ signature on them once you started school at Hogwarts”

Stacking the scrolls again as he finished, Griphook steepled his long fingers, looking to Holly “The last two are easy to rectify, with your oath sworn statement now, we can reclaim the funds and call the grimoires back to your vaults. The first will require intensive, discrete investigation, we will need your memories of what happened while you where living with the Dursleys, these will be kept confidential and anonymous outside of those of us here of course.’

‘I believe that we will also find that the circumstances of Lord Blacks incarceration will also be found to be suspicious, while he was always...an impulsive wizard, I do not believe that he was involved in the way that is alleged, especially as he did not receive a trial.” Looking away, the Goblin floated a shallow stone bowl to float over and come to rest in front of her “This is a pensive, miss Potter, it to put is shortly, holds and makes the memories of others viewable. With your consent one of us will have to take and copy the memories of the time you were with the Dursleys, they will be stored and kept anonymously even if we are able to take these wrongs to trial”

Holly relaxed slightly at this nodding shallowly as Griphook continued “Before we do you must pick who you would like to copy the memories, and we will be able to move onto giving you proper access to your trust vault, and the business Mr. Aidoneus has with the DeMort account” Looking between the three men and the pensive that Griphook had floated in front of her, she weighed her options. Knowing Aidoneus, she felt it would only make the anger she saw from him worse, but also knew that she would give the Goblins less to potentially hold over her. If she chose one of the Goblins, yes, she would be handing them something that could be held over her, but she also would be showing them an immense amount of trust and expectation of loyalty, something she felt they must value given what she had seen and learned from Aidoneus.

Coming to her decision she looked to Ragnok, doing her best to hold herself confidently she voiced her decision to the King, pretending the other two weren’t there. “I would like you to collect the memories please Lord Ragnok, I feel like it would be best to have someone besides Aidoneus do it, and who better to entrust than the King of the very people I am trusting to handle the investigations of these crimes and the accounts of my family?”

Looking slightly surprised but pleased nonetheless, Ragnok nodded before standing and coming around to ready himself in front off Holly next to the pensive. He looked at her as he held up a long finger towards her and spoke as gently as she thought he was able to “I will complete this as efficiently as possible, I will warn you that you will have to remember them in flashes as we go through the process” Holly gave a slight nod as Ragnok’s finger pressed to her temple and suddenly the room was gone.

She felt as if she was floating, and could feel Ragnoks presence with her, though she could not see him, as she heard a scream and flash of blinding green light, before she looked down on the first, real memory, she had at the Dursleys. She was only four, and was curled up in her cupboard shivering in pain from burns covering her hands, while her Aunt yelled at her for spilling the hot water from the kettle. Things seemed to whirl and her fears where realized as she watched the beginnings of the first time that her Uncle decided that she should take after her ‘harlot of a mother’. She turned away at her own cries of pain and fear, closing her eyes as she was whirled through memories of her abuse and pain, holding onto the small bright moments that lingered a little longer by some mercy.

Smiling at the first time she had met Silver-Tongue, having told the disguised snake he was beautiful and being surprised when he spoke back to her. Things kept whirling around her until finally she was watching the events from the morning before her birthday, watching herself dodge Dudleys smelting stick before her Aunt sent her out to the back yard with her scraps to finish the days chores. Giving a smile as she saw the golden glow coming from her as she made it rain, before suddenly she was back in the office in Gringotts bank again, Griphook having left sometime during the experience. Looking up at Ragnok, she could see that even he was stiff with anger, though he was much more composed then Aidoneus had been.

He nodded to her as he waved a hand over the pensive, making it glow a strong silver before disappearing “I believe you made a wise choice in choosing me heiress Potter, please be assured that we will be investigating the matter of your placement with those… _muggles_ , as well as your treatment by their hands with the utmost of our ability and secrecy. We will also be sending you secure updates on these matters.” He sat back behind his desk, seeming to somehow pull himself together before looking to Aidoneus, who still looked angry, though more concerned now as he looked to Holly while the Goblin King began to speak again. “Now, I believe we simply have the matters regarding the DeMort accounts and giving Holly a proper identity to use whilst waiting for the start of the Hogwarts term?”

Aidoneus looked away from Holly, straightening as he turned his attention back to the bank manager “Indeed, I would like to give Holly a separate trust in the DeMort accounts, and make it so that she is able to take control of them and the DeMort title when she is of age. I believe if we continue the ruse of ‘Lillian DeMort’ we should be able to merge the identity with her real one easily enough by saying it was a pseudonym once she became my ward” considering for a moment, he nodded “I believe that will be sufficient for now at the very least.”

The Goblin made a grunt of assent, waving his hand as a variety of forms appeared, a number of them floating in to rest in front of the skeletal man. “I see, this is easy enough, please sign all of those papers for the proper transfers and requests of Heirship, and you and heiress Potter will both need to imprint upon the last, solidifying her identity as Lillian DeMort, Heiress of the DeMort line.” An inky quill appeared in the man’s hand, while he read through the parchments, before he began signing, appearing satisfied at their contents.

As he came to the last page, he signed with a slight flourish, before pressing his thumb to the paper, Holly noticed an inky dark magic lightly flow into the document, before disappearing once again. He looked to Holly, handing her the quill, and indicating to a portion at the bottom of the parchment, where a space for her signature and a small oval for her thumb print lay “Please sign at the bottom here Little One, this will ensure your status as my heir, and make it so that we can move about in the world as the DeMorts and not be noticed for your status as the ‘Savior of the Wizarding World’” pointing to the oval as she signed, “simply push forward a small amount of your magic into the parchment, and we will be able to wrap up here after we gather the funds we’ll need for the rest of the day”

She put her thumb onto the oval as she had watched Aidoneus do earlier, and closed her eyes as she felt for the well that she now knew the location of inside of her. Doing her best to pull only a drop from it, she willed the magic into the document through her thumb, smiling when she felt a warmth there and opened her eyes to see a golden light sinking into the paper. Jolting slightly as the paper flew from her grasp and into Ragnoks waiting hands which held the other documents that had just been signed. “Now how much would you like to withdraw while we file these discretely?” the Goblin murmured as the parchments disappeared.

Pulling out a pouch, her new guardian thought for a moment, seeming to come to a decision quickly “Ah, yes, let us pull 200 Galleons from the DeMort accounts, that should be plenty sufficient for the shopping we need to get done today, as well as anything Holly may wish to purchase between now and the start of term”. Ragnok nodded and lent tapping the pouch and Holly heard the distinctive sound of metal falling into it, though she saw no change as Aidoneus stored the pouch back in his robes. “Now with that, I do believe we have completed all of our business at your esteemed bank Lord Ragnok, I thank you for all your diligence and discretion in the matters we have brought to you, May your enemies quake in the wake of your coming, and may all your battles end in victory”

She stood with the two men as her guardian started leading, he to the office door, giving a small bow while Ragnok spoke his parting “And may your vaults never empty and your endeavors all be fruitful Lord Death”

Looking quickly up at Aidoneus as they parted back through the bank, he simply winked down at her before they stepped into the light of the ally once again. “Now Little One, where should we start with your list?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Back! I believe at the pace I've been able to write at, I'll have chapters done about every week and a half, though I will definitely try for faster.
> 
> Thank you for the Kudos and Comments you've all already given me, it means a lot as this is the first fic I've posted!
> 
> Next we have adventures in Diagon Alley! What more could Holly go through before the start of the term?


	3. Where the Blonde Boys Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly and Aidoneus finish their trip through Diagon Ally!

Holly rummaged through her pocket quickly at his question, pulling it out and reading through it out loud as they came back into the alley.

“HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) - by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic - by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory - by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration - by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi - by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions - by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions”

She looked up to Aidoneus as she finished, seeing if he had anything to add, but he simply nodded slightly at her to continue. Pulling her thoughts together she took another quick look at the list, deciding on starting with the clothes. “If it’s okay, should we start with the clothes? It seems to make the most sense at the moment if we’re still going to get a new wardrobe for me…”

Apprehensively looking up at him, Holly felt relieved when he smiled and began walking them through the alley.

They came up to an ice-cream shop and Holly slowed down to look inside as they passed, the sign out front declaring it “Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour”. Aidoneus looked down fondly at her, looking back as they passed the shop “This day has been trying hasn’t it? What do you say we get lunch and a treat after we finish with your wardrobe, then we can finish the rest of your list from there with a boost in energy?” Holly beamed up at him, nodding in excitement while they continued on “Good, good, we will make our way back to Fortescue’s after our stop at Twilfitt and Tattings, which thankfully due to magic will be much faster than it would be otherwise, we should be able to eat within the hour.”

He gently squeezed her hand as they continued on, coming up to a nice shop with a sign that told Holly they where at what Aidoneus had called Twilfitt and Tattings. Looking at it as they walked up, she was reminded of the shops Aunt Petunia would go to with the ladies from her book group, the lot of them gossiping as they browsed through clothing that Holly would have to carry. As they walked into the shop, Holly looked up at her new Guardian who had put on a pleasant smile while a gentle chime signaled their arrival, causing the attendant to look up, beaming at them from where they had been writing in some sort of ledger. “Ah! Welcome to Twilfitt and Tattings, how can we be of service to you today?”

“Good day, we’re here to purchase a new wardrobe for my ward, Lillian, as well as get the standard Hogwarts sets for her first year” Aidoneus spoke gently as he motioned Holly forward, the attendant smiled in a more gentle manner as if she could tell how nervous Holly was, “Please guide her through anything she might want as well as the essentials she may not wish to speak with me about if you could”

The attendant smiled a bit wider at them, coming around the corner as she spoke “Of course sir! It would be my pleasure to assist you with a new wardrobe Lillian, I’m Amara, if you follow me, we can get you measured and go over all the things you might need or want for a wardrobe!” The young witch gestured to a well-lit area to the left of the shop, sectioned off with tasteful curtains into two sizable areas. Amara led Holly to the right most area, since the left was closed off, while Aidoneus moved to sit in the waiting area by the entrance keeping a watchful eye on them while still looking interested in the newspaper he had picked up.

Holly followed the attendant to a raised platform while the older girl waved the curtains closed, a floating measuring tape coming to rest in front of Holly as she did so. Amara turned to the young girl smiling gently again “Okay Lillian, I’ll need you to remove your robe so we can get measurements for your Hogwarts robes, and once that’s done we’ll get a few more for the rest of your wardrobe and we can sit and pick out the things you’ll need and more than a few you’d want!” She winked at Holly with this, while the younger girl removed her green robe, her hair coming away from her face as she turned back to Amara, causing her to gasp quietly “Oh! Oh my…”

The older girl knelt in front of a confused Holly after composing herself and began noting the measurements that the suddenly lively tape was taking “My dear, you’ll want to be much, much more careful with your hair, we pride ourselves on the utmost discretion for our customers” she looked up softly at Holly at this, “but there’s only so much even we can do when it comes to someone as famous as the Girl-Who-Lived” Holly’s eyes widened and she stuttered, unsure of what to say, she flushed with what she thought was embarrassment, but Amara only smiled a little wider at her “Of course, being a Metamorphmagus certainly helps, if you look in the mirror, I don’t think you’ll have any further issues today”

Still shocked at how easily people recognized her, Holly turned to the mirror and gasped herself, seeing that her dark copper tinted hair, had turned a jet black, her tanned olive complexion now matched Aidoneus’. Looking out from her now pale face, she saw that her vibrant green eyes where now a pale ocean green, and she couldn’t see her scar any longer, she turned and smiled hesitantly at Amara. The young attendant grinned at her “But what am I talking about the Girl-Who-Lived for, we’re here to get you your new wardrobe Lillian, and all this time talking the measurements are finished”

Amara stood at this waving her hand again, a simple black robe floating in above the curtain “here now, we’ll get this tailored and go over the options for the rest of your wardrobe, put it on while I go grab a few supplies and catalogs” the woman opened the curtains and walked to the back, leaving Holly to admire how much she really looked like Aidoneus now, she looked to the side and noticed that the other curtains where open too. A young blonde boy was standing on the other platform in much the same state as she was, looking around with a poorly veiled curiosity.

His eyes landed on her a few seconds after she noticed him, his eyebrows raising before seeming to remember something and attempted to school his features and turning to her fully “Are you going to Hogwarts to then? Well you must be, by the robes, do you know what house you’ll be in? I’ll be in Slytherin of course, the Malfoys have been in Slytherin as long as we can remember” He nodded at her, “That’s my family, the Malfoys, I’m Draco, Draco Malfoy” He then held out his hand finally seeming to take a pause and allow her to speak “and you are?”

Holly smiled at him, reaching out to shake his hand “I’m Lillian, Lillian DeMort” Draco’s eyes widened at that while she continued “I’m not sure what house I’ll be in, I don’t really know much about them, I was raised in the muggle world you see” she nodded towards Aidoneus who watched them fondly over his newspaper “Aidoneus saved me, so from here on out I’ll be living in the wizarding world with him”

Draco was about to start speaking again when two women came out from the back, who looked to be related, one was shorter, regal looking woman, with pitch black hair up in a bun, a professional smile gracing her lips. The other was taller, and just as regal, her blonde hair in a gorgeous arrangement that highlighted her face and the manicured smile she held. They came to a stop as the taller woman finished speaking “Thank you again Cephei, we dearly appreciate not having to visit Madame Malkin’s” She looked over to them and raised an eyebrow seeing the two children still holding hands before Draco abruptly dropped Holly’s hand, causing the woman to give him a disapproving look “Ah, Draco my dear, have you made a friend? Please introduce us”

Draco stood up straighter, nodding at what Holly assumed to be his Mother “Of course, I’m sorry mother. This is Lillian DeMort” He looked to Holly then “Lady DeMort, this is my mother Narcissa Malfoy nee Black-”

Narcissa raised a hand silencing Draco, “A pleasure Lady DeMort, will you be attending Hogwarts this year as well?”

Holly was about to answer when Aidoneus stood, coming stand with them and answering for her “She will be, yes Lady Malfoy.” He bowed his head to her slightly “Please excuse me for interrupting, I am Aidoneus DeMort, Lillian’s guardian, it’s a pleasure to meet you and Heir Malfoy”

He took her hand an placed a kiss on it, while she gave a deep curtsy “The pleasure is ours Lord DeMort” straightening and motioning for Draco to come stand with her, she spoke again “We are surprised to run into you in public, as we understand it you haven’t made an appearance in quite some time after your parents passing. The Malfoy family extends our sincerest condolences.” Aidoneus gave a gentle smile as she continued “Of course we are delighted that your return also brings your Heir, we are done with our business here, but I will send an owl so we can set up a play date for the children if that is amenable to you?”

“Ah, yes, thank you Lady Malfoy, the DeMorts appreciate your condolences,” Aidoneus nodded towards Holly as he spoke, “Of course, Lady Malfoy, I’m certain Lillian would be quite pleased to join young Draco before the term starts” Holly nodded excitedly at this and even Draco looked pleased “But please, don’t let us keep you any longer, I look forward to your owl where we can speak at a greater length”

“Thank you Lord DeMort, we certainly look forward to it, please have a pleasant afternoon” Narcissa curtsied once again and Draco bowed towards Aidoneus as they left, leaving Holly slightly befuddled but excited at potentially having a friend already.

The woman Narcissa had called Cephei gently clapped her hands together at the exchange, smiling at the pair as Holly realized she was still standing in the unfit robe waiting for Amara to come back. “Hello there, Lord DeMort, Miss DeMort,” She looked between the two as she spoke, her voice gentle and rich “I am Cephei Black, I run Twilfitt and Tattings! I see Amara is already helping you, I will leave you in her capable hands, but I wished to introduce myself now that my cousin has left, and let you know that you may come with me for anything if you so need!”

Amara appeared while the other woman was speaking, winking to Holly, holding a small stack of books and some other supplies. She made her way over to Holly and quietly got to work while Aidoneus spoke to Cephei “A pleasure to meet you Miss Black, thank you for the offer we would….” His words trailed off as they walked away from the fitting area and Amara waved the curtains closed.

“The noble families do love to blab on about nothing but pleasantries don’t they Lillian?” Amara spoke as she began fitting the robe to her, sticking needles in here and there around the hems “Sorry I left you to it for so long, one of the catalogs I just had to show you was hiding away under a desk in the back” she winked up at Holly while she continued working.

Holly smiled and nodded “I don’t really understand why they couldn’t just come out and say everything, but I also have a feeling that Aidoneus just saved me from accidentally embarrassing myself in front of Draco’s mum” Amara let out a laugh at that, simply nodding as she put more needles in her mouth moving to hem the bottom of the robe Holly wore. She did her best to keep from fidgeting as she looked into the mirror again while Amara worked, taking in her new appearance “I’m just glad that they didn’t recognize me, I didn’t know I was famous until today, I mean, I didn’t even know I was a witch until last night”

Her brow furrowed as her eyes started to turn a brighter green again, concentrating slightly and smiling when she shifted back. “Thank you again for not saying anything about it Amara, I don’t know how well I’d handle it if people where coming up to me all the time”

Amara stood at that, smiling down at the thin girl “Oh don’t worry about it dear, even if we didn’t have a policy about that sort of thing, I wouldn’t say anything. You look like you’ve been through so much already” smiling wide, she waved her hand again, and the robe came off Holly and floated to the back. “Now! We’re done with the measurements and all the tedious work, lets go over your wardrobe, I’d like to start with the essentials like knickers, that way we can get those chosen, and ask for input on the rest of it from your guardian” Holly nodded along excitedly at this, making Amara’s look go softer while she walked them to the chairs off to the side of the fitting area.

“Splendid! Lets go over this catalog first, I’ve picked out a few training bras and some different styles of knickers for you that work for your age and are spelled to grow with you during the year” She slid a catalog over to Holly “If you agree with my choices all you need to do is let me know the colors you’d like!”

Holly flipped through the catalog noticing the choices that Amara had made, she almost felt embarrassed looking at the different knickers and training bras. Looking up and seeing Amara looking through the other catalogs she had brought, highlighting different selections, and was glad that at least she didn’t have to look through them with Aidoneus. “I like what you’ve picked out, it’s all so nice! I like darker colors, and greens, blues and blacks especially”

Pulling the catalog from Holly, the older girl nodded, tapping the catalog a few times before looking over to her again “Perfect, which color do you prefer most? I’m putting on order a few different types, so you can have some just to sleep in or some that are better for sports and flying”

Holly thought for a moment, never having taken the time to consider what her favorite color would even be up until now. Looking down at the robes and dress Aidoneus has conjured for her she smiled, pulling them slightly closer as she answered Amara “Dark green, like my robes I think, I’ve never really thought about it too much before though” the older girl grinned at her while she tapped the catalog again.

“Not to worry, we’ll go with that, and you’ll just have to promise to come back next year and we can pick something different if your mind changes!” putting the catalog down, she waved her hand for the curtain to open and looked over to where Aidoneus was now sat back down feigning interest in the newspaper once again. “Hello Sir! If you’d like you can come over and help us pick out the rest of Lillian’s wardrobe” He looked up at them and smiled, standing to come join them in the dressing area.

“Ah wonderful, I have only a few things I’d like to make sure she gets, other then that I would like to let Lillian choose what she may” Holly smiled brightly at that, becoming more and more excited at the prospect of having her own clothes that no one else had owned before. “I’d like to make sure that she has a set of formal robes, and that all the clothes she gets will be spelled to repair themselves” Looking back down at Holly, he smiled “Other then that it’s all Lillian’s choice, I will happily lend my opinion if needed though”

Amara nodded as Aidoneus spoke, pulling one of the catalogs out of the pile, “Splendid, lets go over the dress robes first then!” The next thirty minutes where almost a blur to Holly, picking out colors and her favorite outfits out of the catalogs that Amara had. Aidoneus giving his input here and there and reassuring her that she truly could buy anything that she wanted out of them. In the end as they walked out, Holly had enough clothes now that she wouldn’t need to wear the same outfit in a month unless she wanted to.

Sagging slightly after say her goodbyes to Amara, happy that the clothes where being sent directly to her room in the Leaky Cauldron, but worn out from so much interaction and activity she just wasn’t used to. She looked to Aidoneus and gave a tired smile “Is it still okay to go to the Ice-cream shop? I think I could definitely use some lunch” He squeezed her hand as they walked, nodding his head.

“Of course, Little One, let’s get lunch and then I think your wand after that, much of your work as a mage will be with a wand in your schooling, and I understand it is rather a right of passage for young ones” They made their way to the Ice-cream shop and ordered their lunch, Holly charming the owner into letting them have it for free once he saw her utter amazement at her first taste of the dessert. After enjoying their lunch and Holly promising to visit again, Aidoneus led to her to the wand shop, her energy renewed and her excitement returning as they walked in.

The shop was narrow and shabby looking, peeling gold lettering read “Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.”, a single wand laid on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. As they entered a tinkling bell rang from further in the shop as they walked further up to the counter. It was small space, empty except for a rickety chair that Aidoneus sat in to wait while Holly got her wand. She felt like she had walked into the library run by Aunt Petunias strict friend who always shushed her just for walking around to find a book. Keeping her new questions in mind for later, she looked around at the thousands of narrow boxes stacked all the way up to the ceiling, seeing the magic gently swirling around the room in an almost chaotic fashion, making her neck tingle.

“Good Afternoon,” a soft voice spoke from behind her, making her jump, while Aidoneus just gave an amused smile. An old man stood in front of them, wide pale eyes shining like moonlight through the dark shop.

Holly shuffled awkwardly, “Ah, Hello”

“Ahhh, Yes,” the man spoke quickly. “Yes, yes. I thought I’d be seeing you soon, Holly Potter.” It wasn’t a question, and Hollys eyes widened as she looked worriedly between the old man and Aidoneus before he continued. “Not to fret, you still look like Lord DeMorts child, and I won’t be saying anything” this put Holly at ease, and she unconsciously let her features shift back. “Ah, but now I can see you have your mother’s eyes. It seems like only yesterday that she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.”

The man moved closer to Holly, she found herself mesmerized by his unblinking eyes, the silvery color was slightly unnerving.

“Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches, Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it, it’s really the wand that chooses the witch or wizard, of course.” Ollivander had come so close that he and Holly where almost nose to nose, she could see herself reflected in his misty eyes, and she noticed the magic swirling through them. “And that’s where…” He touched the spot on her forehead where her lightning scar hid with a long pale finger.

“I’m sorry to say I sold the wand that did it,” he spoke softly now. “Thirteen and a half inches, Yew, powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands…well, if I’d known what that want was going out in the world to do.”

He stepped back and shook his head, looking to Aidoneus “Ah, Lord DeMort, it is an honor to my craft to have you in my shop,” his eyes got more intense as he spoke, “it is safe to say that wandmakers all strive to create something even a tenth as masterful as your wand”

Aidoneus gave a wan smile, nodding. “Ahh, yes well, I must caution that one must always be aware of the consequences of their work, the elder is powerful, and masterful, but heralds’ strife and hardships with it”

Nodding along Mr. Ollivander seemed to get lost in thought over the short advice her guardian had imparted, snapping back to reality suddenly and looking back to Holly. “Well now! Ms. Potter, let me see,” he pulled out a long tape measure, like the one from Twilfitt and Tattings, but with silver makings. “Which is your wand arm?”

“Oh…well I’m right-handed?” she answered him with some confusion.

“Mm, hold out your arm, that’s it.” He measured her from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around her head. As he did so, he spoke in a tone of concentration, “Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Ms. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feather, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard or witches wand.”

Holly realized that as he had been speaking the tape measure had begun moving on its own, measuring between her nostrils currently, while the older man flitted about the shop pulling down boxes.

“That will do,” he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. “Right then, Ms. Potter, try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave.”

Holly took the wand, feeling quite foolish, and waved it around a bit but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once. “Maple and phoenix feathers, seven inches, quite whippy, try…”

Holly tried, but she had hardly raised the wand when it was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. “No, no, here ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy! Go on, go on, try it out.”

Holly tried, and tried. She had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for, the pile of tried ones was mounting higher and higher on the counter in front of her. But the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shells, the happier he seemed to become. “Tricky customer eh? Not to worry we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere…I wonder now…” He trailed off in thought. “Yes, why not…unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather…eleven inches, nice and supple.”

Holly took the wand and she felt a sudden warmth in her fingers, she could see her magic reacting to the wand, reaching out to join with it. She raised the wand above her head and brought it swishing down through the dusty air, a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework. Throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Aidoneus clapped lightly with a pleased smile on his face, and Mr. Ollivander cried out “Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh very good. Well, well, well how curious…how very curious…”

He put Holly’s wand back into its box and wrapped in brown paper, still muttering “curious…curious…”

“Sorry…” said Holly, “but what’s curious?”

Mr. Ollivander fixed Holly with his pale stare, “I remember every wand I’ve ever sold Ms. Potter, every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix who’s tailfeather is in your wand, gave another feather. Just. One. Other.” He looked at the spot where her scar was hiding, “it’s very curious indeed, that you should be destined for this wand. When its brother…why it’s brother gave you that scar.”

Holly swallowed, “Yes thirteen and a half inches, yew. Curious indeed, how these things happen, the wand chooses the witch remember…” He gave her a grim smile, “I think we must expect great things from you, Ms. Potter, after all He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yes. But great.”

Holding her wand box, she wasn’t sure how she felt about the older man, seeing the eerie magic that surrounded him and his shop, she decided to put it out of her mind until she could learn more about the Dark Lord she had heard about and the different types of magic in the world. Aidoneus spoke quietly to Mr. Ollivander, purchasing a holster for her wand, while he let her pay the seven gold galleons for her wand. Mr. Ollivander bowing them from the shop.

Reeling from her experiences, Holly clutched her wand box while pulling back out her list looking through it again before looking up at Aidoneus who was waiting patiently for her. “I’d like to get the other equipment on the list next, and then the books and save picking out my pet for last?”

As if sensing her hesitation that still lingered at asking for anything for herself, he simply smiled gently down at her, grabbing her hand once again to lead her through the ally to their next destination. “I think that sounds like a pleasingly direct plan Little One.” They walked a short distance coming up to a shop simply called “Apothecary”, and had to stop short as a man came sharply out of the door, a sour expression on his face. Holly watched as his black eyes slid over them unhappily, as he stalked away, long black hair almost matching the billowing cloak that trailed him as he disappeared down the ally.

They entered the apothecary and Aidoneus led them to the counter, from behind which Holly count see an exasperated attendant, looking relieved at the sight of them. “Hogwarts then?” Aidoneus nodded, and led the man through making sure her equipment was the top of the line for students, the two arranging to have her supplies also sent to her room. While she browsed the shop, looking at the various ingredients, many of which looked vile and sat slimy in their containers. She saw things ranging from silver unicorn horns, going for twenty-one galleons each, to glittering black beetle eyes at five knuts per scoop.

Quickly, they were finished their stop at the apothecary, Aidoneus once again leading them up the ally. They made a quick stop, getting her a very nice deep redwood trunk with an extra compartment that could be locked and had an extendable charm on it, also being sent to her room in the Leaky Cauldron. They made their way to the bookshop, called “Flourish and Blotts”, she stared in amazement at the number of books in piles around her. Some reaching up to the ceiling, she looked around and saw a book the size of a floor tile, propped against the wall, and next to it, on a small corner table, a silk covered one the size of a matchbook.

Her guardian smiled down at her as she took in the sheer volume available to look through, patting her back gently to push her into the store. “You go find as many books as you’d like to get while I take care of your school books, alright Little One?”

She beamed up at him nodding, “alright! I’ll come find you at the counter when I’m done?” at his nod of assent, she skipped into the shelves. There wasn’t any particular organization that she could see but scanning the shelves she got more and more excited, and began pulling books that caught her eye. Quickly gaining a pile that was becoming hard to carry, a floating basket came to rest in front of her, so she began gratefully putting her haul into it. Already having gained titles ranging from things like “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”, to “Ancient Runes Made Easy”, and “Mind Magics: A Starter guide to Occlumency and Legilimency.”

Continuing to pile books into the basket that floated along with her, seemingly having unlimited room for her selections, she attempted to find something on the “Magic Sight” talent she had. Wanting to understand what the different colors and feelings she got from them meant, she was coming around a corner when she almost ran into another girl. The girl had a similar basket floating along with her, and she had stopped short with a sheepish smile, her hair falling in bushy tight ringlets around her. “Hello there, um, are you going to be attending Hogwarts as well?”

Holly brightened at that, hoping she may have found another new friend in the dark-skinned girl in front of her. “Oh! Yes, I’m here with my guardian now for my supplies, he’s getting the school books while I choose more for myself.” The other girl smiled wider as Holly spoke, stepping closer and looking into her basket.

“Oh! it’s the same for me, though my parents might be having more trouble with my books, their muggles you see, I’m only allowed to get ten books myself.’ She began getting more animated as she spoke, ‘but I’ve grabbed more then that so I can compare them once I’m done! I want to prepare for Hogwarts the best that I can…”

“Hermione! It’s time to pick your ten and go dear” Holly looked to the front of the store and saw an older woman, dressed in black and gold muggle clothing, the colors accenting her skin to an almost ethereal warm darkness. She held hands with a pale ginger man, who was dressed like she had always imagined a middle-class white father to look from the fifties, and waited patiently for the girl Holly now knew to be Hermione to say her goodbyes.

“Drat! I’m so sorry to leave like this, but I do hope we’ll see each other on the train to Hogwarts!” Hermione spoke quickly, rummaging through her books, and leaving many of them into Hollys basket before hurrying off to meet her parents. Leaving Holly almost dizzy with the fast pace of their interaction. She looked at the books that the girl had put into her basket and was immediately pleased to see more than one book on magical theory, cultural traditions in the wizarding world and even one on magic sight.

Smiling down at her basket she spoke softly to herself, “well that was lucky!” She looked through the stack of books for a few minutes longer, grabbing another couple of books before heading to the front of the store in search of her guardian. She found Aidoneus standing in a corner near the front counter flipping through a large dark tome that seemed to radiate a similar magic that she had seen from him. He looked up as she approached and closed his reading, sending back into the stacks with a flick of his hand, coming to meet her at the counter, where a stack of books sat, which Holly assumed to be her assigned school books.

“Are you ready then Little One?” smiling gently down at her as she nodded and loaded her basket onto the counter, the poor attendant already eyeing it apprehensively. “Please charge these with her school books to the DeMort account, and have them sent along to our room in the Leaky Cauldron.” The attendant waved his wand over her basket and the school books, staking them all into neat rows, and producing a bill for them hanging in the air at forty-two galleons and eleven sickles.

She watched as Aidoneus tapped the parchment a black wax seal appearing with a shining silver skull in the center, the attendant nodded, and waved his wand again causing the books to shrink and disappear. “Alright Lord DeMort, your purchases should be delivered to your room by the time you return, it was a pleasure having you at Flourish and Blotts” He bowed slightly to them before turning to help another customer, while they made their way out.

As they walked Holly swung their clasped hands, finally putting out of her mind whether or not she deserved the good things happening to her at the moment. She was fully focused on getting to dig into her new books, and the prospect of getting her own pet, Aidoneus looked down at her while they made their way back towards the entrance of the ally. “What sort of pet do you think you’ll choose Little One?”

They came up to the two pet stores in the ally, “Magical Menagerie” and “Eeylops Owl Emporium”. She thought deeply for a second looking between the two stores, a calming green and gold magic swirling between the two. She looked into the windows, and her eyes caught on a beautiful white owl, sitting staring at her as if it where simply waiting for her to notice it. It hooted softly at her as she came closer before giving a short set of flaps, landing on her shoulder, causing her to look up to Aidoneus “I think my decision has been made! I was thinking of an owl in the first place and a snowy one seems to fit” as she spoke the owl puffed up proudly, somehow looking pleased with her statement.

“Indeed, I think you’ve found a loyal match, lets go in and purchase her” they came into the store and Aidoneus made the purchase, making sure that she had all the food and treats she would need for her new owl, as well as a book titled “You and Your Owl”. They made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Aidoneus greeting Tom while she thought of a name for her now owl, they where seated back around the small table by the time she focused on Aidoneus again. “Ah, have you come to a decision?”

Holly nodded, looking to the owl now sitting on her own perch by the fire, preening her feathers, “yes, I think so, I like ‘Hedwig.’” Hedwig puffed up happily at her declaration, flapping a few times before settling down.

They settled down themselves, both reading while they ate slowly at the dinner that had appeared as the sun had begun setting. Before she knew it, she was yawning and looked up from her children’s book as Aidoneus stood, “and that, Little One is the sign that it is time for you to sleep.” He placed her book on the now cleared table and spoke again before she had the chance to protest, “no arguments, it has been a long few days, and it is past a reasonable time for you to be asleep.”

His tone left no room for her to protest, so she simply nodded as she yawned again, standing and gathering the set of swirling pajamas that Aidoneus had made for her. Changing quickly in the bathroom, she crawled into the bed and gave her guardian a tired “goodnight” as he waved, causing the lights and fire to dim so that she could barely see anything before slipping off to sleep. A content smile spread across her face as she fell deeper into sleep, not stirring at the appearance of a woman in the room.

“You don’t have much more leeway with the young one Death, you’ve already skirted the line of what we are allowed to do.” Her words where quiet but laden with power as bright golden eyes glinted through the darkness, meeting the pale eyes of the man before her.

“I am quite aware of this Fate, but we both know I have one more task to complete before this timeline is suitable for the outcome my young Master requested.” His gaze turned to the girl sleeping soundly across the room, “I will not break any of the old laws, but my task will be complete, and aside from that, I know you are not so concerned with the laws, you have been helping the both of us quite a bit from what I’ve seen.”

Fate looked pointedly away from him at this statement, “I have…come to appreciate this soul, past simply your request for help making your masters wishes come true.” Obviously uncomfortable with the level of introspection Deaths statement had brought her, she turned quickly back to him. “Be that as it may, I have come to remind you of those lines, and make sure that you where prepared to step away from the role you have taken the last few days.”

At that the woman disappeared in a small golden flourish, leaving Death to his own thoughts as he and Hedwig watched over Holly through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I am so, so sorry for how long this has taken, between life being, well..life during a world plague, and other things going on for me, I have not been able to really work on this like I have wanted to. I am hoping to post the next couple of chapters in my proposed schedule, but I definitely have to ask that y'all be patient with me since I think I will have a very erratic posting schedule once I start school in June. Next chapter will be the last one leading up to actually being at Hogwarts! so we are definitely are moving along! As always, I thank you so much for the Kudos and Comments, I really do appreciate it.


	4. Goblins, House Elves, and Owls Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly and Aidoneus visit the Malfoy manor, will they agree to take her in? Will she trust them enough to let them? Either way, Holly will be shortly on the way to Hogwarts and soon she will have much bigger problems to face than who will be caring for her during this time.

In a remote part of Britain, Draco spent the night rambling about the DeMort heiress he met, hovering over his mother while she wrote out a letter to Aidoneus. Lord Malfoy looked on with concealed amusement from his seat in front of a grand fireplace, enjoying the unrestrained childish joy that he hadn’t been allowed as a child. Turning back to his copy of the Daily Prophet, he held back a snort of derision as he read about an attack on a lesser known light family, inwardly mocking their inability to admit that it could have been the work of the Dark Lords followers. Looking into the fire for a moment longer, thinking of the dark times that where sure to be coming, Lucius listened to Narcissa appease their son as she sent off her missive inviting the DeMorts to a teatime get together.

He looked over, standing gracefully, and moving to where his son was practically bouncing with his excitement, silently pleased when Draco managed to compose himself as he came up to him “Hello Father, Mother and I have invited Lord and Heiress DeMort for tea tomorrow, will you be able to attend?”

Lucius gave a small smile down at the boy who had attempted to straighten as much as he could, and preened under his father’s approval, “I will be able to be there for a short time, it would be remiss of me not to introduce myself to Lord DeMort” He gently patted Draco’s shoulder, “But now Little Dragon, it is time for you to let your poor Mother and I rest, and fly to your bed, you will have plenty to be excited for in the morning”

Draco deflated a little but was obviously pleased at his Father saying he would be at the tea date, “Yes Father, Goodnight!” The child turned to Narcissa, who gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “goodnight Mother.” They watched him leave the room with a small house elf, and turned to each other, sharing looks of concern for the things to come with the reemergence of the reclusive Most Regal and Most Ancient House DeMort. They sat together in front of the fire, making plans and insurances for the future, uncertain what it would hold, and where the DeMorts would fall in the mix. The family was oblivious to the golden threads of magic surrounding them as Fate wove her work.

The next morning, Holly woke up feeling more rested than she had in a very long time, still somewhat surprised at the smell of breakfast wafting over to her, when she hadn’t been the one to make it. Slowly sitting up in her bed, she looked over to where Aidoneus was sitting in his usual seat and saw that he was petting a rather pompous looking eagle owl which was soaking up the attention the man was giving it. Hedwig hooted unhappily at Holly as she stood, seeming to glare at the other owl as she came over and gave her a treat, murmuring her good mornings to the white owl who puffed up in happiness while Holly walked over to have her own breakfast.

“Good morning Little One, breakfast is ready,” He nodded to the owl he was petting, Holly noticed traces of golden magic in the room, but assumed it was just the owls “it seems we already have an invitation to meet with the Malfoys for tea time later today if you would still like to spend more time with that young boy”

Sitting and filling her plate, Holly brightened at the mention of the blonde boy, “I’d would love that! Do you think he really wants to be friends with me?”

Watching her eat, Aidoneus smiled fondly at her “I believe that we wouldn’t have gotten the offer this soon if the young man didn’t wish it to be” looking back to the eagle owl he was petting, he resolved on telling Holly of his plans and him having to stop being around for her in his role as Aidoneus, but take a step back to being around for her as Silver-Tongue. As much as he wanted to be there for his Master in the coming years and protect her, but he knew that he had to let her grow on her own and find the Deathly Hollows without his interference so she could truly be his Master in this universe.

He gathered himself, unused to such intense feelings, looking towards Holly who was eating her breakfast with an excited and pleased smile plastered on her face, “Now Little One, when we first arrived, I had told you that I am bound by Old Laws,” Holly slowed her eating, nodding at him to show she was listening. “These mean that I will not be able to interact with your life the ways that I have been, I will have to go away,” he held his hand up to silence her as she began to speak, obviously upset at the turn of the conversation. “I have no choice in this Little One, but that does not mean you will not be able to talk to me, or that you will never be able to see me again.’

‘Simply put I am beholden to rules that insist I meddle in your life as little as possible from here on, this is why I’ve given you access to the DeMort accounts and made you an heir. This is also why I must pose a consideration to you about where you will be living after today.” Hollys brow furrowed at this, seeming to begin running through different scenarios as he spoke. “I believe we have two options, you can stay here for the rest of the summer, and I will escort you to the train on September first, or we can see how this meeting with the Malfoys go,”

He went back to gently petting the eagle owl who seemed to know they were talking about his masters. “And see if they would be willing to take on your care in my stead, as we would need to find a family to do either way” Sighing lightly he looked up to her again, her brow still furrowed as she quietly nibbled on a piece of toast. “The choice of course Little One, is yours”

Holly continued nibbling on her toast for a moment, contemplating the options Aidoneus had laid out for her. She knew that she didn’t want him to leave but could tell by the way he was approaching it that he didn’t either. Swallowing her last bite of toast she looked up at him again, “I think I’d like to see how the trip to the Malfoys goes, I don’t want you to leave but I know you have to” looking determined she continued, “I don’t know if I’ll trust them to start, but if what you and Ragnok where saying about my parents will is true, they must have trusted them in some way”

“Is there a way to stop them from saying anything if I decide that I don’t trust them?” Aidoneus nodded an affirmative while she spoke, easing her mind that he could handle it so she moved on. “How will I be able to talk to you once you leave though? I know you said you couldn’t ‘meddle’ in my life more, but I still want to talk with you if I can, tell you about the things happening in my life” She looked away at that, obviously nervous about his answer to the question.

He looked back at her, his severe face softening at the underlying sentiment that she would be losing him entirely after today. “You will be able to write me with Hedwig at any time, and no matter where I am, she will be able to find me.” Hedwig gave a soft hoot at this from her perch, making Holly smile slightly, “I will also be leaving you with one last gift tonight, which will allow me to know if you are ever in dire need of me”

Vanishing the rest of the food, he looked up to the wardrobe across from the Holly’s bed, “Now I believe we can leave this heavy topic until you come to a decision on the Malfoy family,” He nodded towards the bathroom, “I think it time for you to bathe and choose an outfit from your new wardrobe for the occasion, I will send our acceptance and we can go over some of the culture books you have once you are dressed”

With the mention of her wardrobe Death was reminded how young Holly truly was, her innocent childish excitement lighting up the room as she bounced over to pick an outfit. He sent off a reply to the Malfoys as she rummaged through her new clothing, muttering to herself about what to pick. He looked up at her bounding back over to him, with an armful of clothes, “Alright Aidoneus, I’m going to shower now, I’ll be right back!”

She smiled brilliantly at him as she retreated to the bathroom, setting her bundle down she pondered her options while she got the shower started, turning the taps so steam and the scent of vanilla. Picking the same shampoo, the peaches and cherry blossoms mixing with the vanilla, she quickly showered, for once not because she had to, but simply because she was excited. Once she was done, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel before looking over her choices. She had picked out three outfits, all different styles of dresses that went well with the green robe that Aidoneus had made her.

Looking through them, the first she picked up she decided was too fancy, it was styled for a more formal occasion, the deep satin emerald lined with gold lace and embroidery. The other two she had to decide between where more understated, one a light cotton dress, black offset by a green ribbon that matched her robes. Or a green dress offset with a shimmering silver ribbon, she spent a few minutes looking between the two, holding the both in front of her in the mirror.

Having decided, she quickly got dressed, brushing her dark copper hair and quickly braided it into a plait that laid over her shoulder. Smiling at herself in the mirror, she was struck with a thought to see what she could really do with her Metamorphmagus abilities. Closing her eyes, she thought about what she had looked like the day before, feeling her magic start rushing through her, she opened her eyes to see the face of ‘Lillian’ staring out at her. Her dark auburn hair quickly shifting to deep midnight black and grew a few inches before her eyes, making her smile wider.

Focusing again, she watched in fascination as her face shifted to look like an old woman’s before it shifted back. Proud of herself, she turned and bounced out to Aidoneus, doing a small spin in front of him to show her choice of dress and that she had managed to change her form deliberately. He gave her a small round of applause, causing her to notice that the eagle owl from earlier was now gone while she sat herself down. “I have picked out some of the more relevant culture books, you have already done an admirable job picking out an appropriate outfit’

‘I believe between my own knowledge, and these books, we will have you prepared enough to not draw too much attention to yourself if you decide against trusting the Malfoys” Holly nodded as he opened the first book and dived into explanations of etiquette amongst nobility, while she became entranced in learning all she could from him. They stayed like that until a soft chime echoed through the room, startling both Holly and Hedwig, who gave an indignant hoot from her perch as Aidoneus waved his hand, making the time appear in the air. “Ah yes, it is just about time for us to be on our way to the Malfoy estate, I feel that we have sufficiently prepared you, is there anything you have further questions on at this moment?”

Holly considered it for a second, before shaking her head “No, I believe I’ve got it for the most part, will I need to bring anything though?” Looking up at the man, who had moved to gather his own robe, she pondered further “I remember going over gifts being expected at the first meetings between noble families to show our intent?”

Giving her a small proud smile, he nodded “Ah yes, I will be the one presenting the gift, as the Head of the family, though I would love to hear any ideas of what to choose that you have, keeping in mind the symbolism needs”

Sitting straighter, she thought deeply for a moment, looking up at him with a curiosity “can you make it so that flowers won’t die?”

He gave her a ponderous look, “I would prefer not to have anything be undying, laws of nature and the like, though I can make it so that they are always growing, what is your idea Little One?”

Flashing a small smile, she played with her hair nervously “I was thinking of getting them some blue hyacinths and white and red roses, for unity, sincerity and trust?”

Aidoneus gave a wide smile “I think that is a splendid idea Little One” waving his hand, a pot appeared floating in the air filling with dirt and roots. Small shoots of blue flowers began lining the rim while rose buds shot up in the center, curling into tasteful arches as everything settled into place. He looked over to the young girl “do you believe you’re ready, _Lillian_?” he offered his hand out to her as he placed one on the pot.

Nodding up at him, Holly stepped forward and took his hand, feeling a rush of magic flow up around her as the world went dark for a split second. Opening her eyes, she saw that they where in the country outside of Salisbury, turning at the gentle press of Aidoneus’ hand, she saw a grand manor she could barely believe the size of rising in the distance. They began walking down the driveway they had appeared in, and Holly noticed large white birds strutting around some of the hedges near the large gate they approached. Coming to a stop at the gate, Aidoneus placed a hand on it, gently intoning “Lord DeMort and Heir for tea with House Malfoy”

The gate shimmered, she guessed it was the ward alerting to their presence as it faded away, leaving the path to the manor open. As they crossed the grounds, Holly saw more birds she realized where peacocks, strutting pale and proud through the immaculate property. Shaken out of her revere they came to the door of the grand family home, the large front doors opening before they had a chance to get close enough to knock. Standing inside was the regal woman that she remembered from the clothing shop, her blonde hair done into tasteful curls falling over her shoulder, making Holly feel silly with her braid. Next to Narcissa, was Draco, who seemed to be vibrating with barely contained excitement that was only curtailed by the hand of a tall man she assumed must be his father. The man was just as regal as Narcissa, with pale white falling down his back, and piercing grey eyes that seemed to almost look through her as Aidoneus’ did.

The man gave a smile and bowed to them, along with Draco and Narcissa, “Lord DeMort, Heiress DeMort, it is a pleasure to welcome you to Malfoy Manor, I am Lord Lucius Malfoy, you already know my wife and heir, Narcissa and Draco”

Aidoneus returned the smile as they stood upright again, giving a smaller bow of the head which Holly mimicked “The pleasure is ours, Lord and Lady Malfoy, Heir Malfoy, Lillian and I look forward to our houses growing friendship, as such we have brought a gift my heir would like to present”

Holly swallowed lightly, but stepped forward with the pot floating next to her at her guardians nod, giving another small bow and smile “Noble and Most Ancient House Malfoy, the Most Regal and Most Ancient House DeMort presents you this gift to bring our Houses together,” she took a breath, glad for the practice she had done with Aidoneus, and gestured to the pot “Blue Hyacinths for Sincerity and Trust, Red and White Roses for Unity. These things we wish to foster between our Houses, as such the flowers will continue to grow anew as the previous ones fade away, like the Bond between Malfoy and DeMort through the following generations”

Narcissa was the one to step forward as she finished, bowing once again, her pale blue robes swirling at her feet as the pot came to rest next to her “Glad tidings and wishes are these from House DeMort, House Malfoy accepts this gift with open arms as we do you and your House” she smiled gently at Holly, “Now, with those formalities out of the way, welcome to Malfoy Manor, please follow us to the drawing room where tea and refreshments await us”

Giving a small sigh of relief, Holly fell in step next to Aidoneus as they walked after the Malfoys, only stopping momentarily in the grand entry way for Narcissa to speak to what she assumed was a house elf “to the greenhouse please, I will find a suitable spot for it later” The pot and elf popped away, leaving Holly slightly stunned at the creature, even though she had been told about them that morning. They continued through the manor, Holly looking curiously at her rich surroundings, wizarding paintings looking curiously back down at her and her guardian, some of them gasping as he passed them.

They finally came to a room at the back of the manor, done in light greens and whites, comfortable furniture tastefully centered around large bay doors that opened to the sprawling gardens in the back half of the estate. Holly and Draco where led to a smaller table on the patio outside, “We’ll be just inside, Draco please make sure that you leave enough of the refreshments, and give Lillian some room to speak, please have fun dear” Holly smiled brightly at the woman, nodding as she saw her face give a warmer than usual small smile back.

“She did very good with the ritual Lord DeMort, you must be very pro…” Holly heard the woman’s voice fade away as the adults walked back into the drawing room, and she turned back to Draco who was still making a valiant attempt at pure blood composure.

He pulled her chair out for her, before sitting across from her as tarts sandwiches and teas appeared on the table, he broke into a wide smile “What do you think of the Manor? You where raised by muggles correct? This must be much grander than what you’re used to” He spoke as quickly as she remembered from the other day, making the attempt to regally loading his plate with the small sandwiches.

Holly smiled back and nodded, putting a tart and a few sandwiches on her own plate before beginning to make up her cup of tea “Yes, so far I’ve been staying with Aidoneus at the Leaky Cauldron since he rescued me from my muggle relatives” Holly gently stirred her sugars into the tea cup as she spoke, looking out into the grand garden exploding with colors sprawling out in front of her. “It is very grand and beautiful, though, now I expected nothing less from what Aidoneus has taught me about wizarding tradition and a Noble House like yours Draco”

She saw the boy puff up with pride at this “Of course our Manor is probably one of the finest amongst the rest of the pureblood families, my guess would be that it is only second to Lord DeMorts, your House is one of, if not the oldest on record” He nodded to the room where the adults where talking “I would bet that right now they’re talking about an alliance between our families, we might end up with a marriage contact between us” Holly’s eyes widened at this while Draco continued talking fast as ever, seamlessly switching topics to explaining what quidditch was after she had told him she didn’t know what it was.

Inside, the Malfoys and Aidoneus had only just switched from polite pleasantries to speaking about the future of the relationship between their Houses. Aidoneus took a sip of his tea, pretending to savor it though he couldn’t taste anything as the liquid slid down his throat “Of course, as I mentioned in my reply missive, there is more to this meeting than seeing my ward happy to make a new friend” The other two adults pinned their attention on the pale man across from them, though their composure only momentarily broke.

“Part of the reason my family is so reclusive is that we spend most of our time out of the country completing old rites” he took in their shocked looks, smiling internally as he wasn’t terribly far from the truth, just that he was the one who had made the rites in the first place. “Lillian, of course deserves her education and a more stable environment” Trailing off, he took another sip of tea, allowing the Malfoys to come to the conclusions themselves, unaware of the golden magic of Fate circling around them tighter.

It was Lucius who spoke first “Of course, we understand the obligations of the old ways, and one wouldn’t want their child to go to just any family” Aidoneus nodded at this, as Lucius looked outside where Holly sat listening to Draco speak animatedly about the intricacies of quidditch. “Especially a child who was raised by muggles, they would need a proper education on the intricacies of the wizarding world the light side neglects”

Giving a small chuckle, Aidoneus nodded “Yes, indeed, my family and I have been far removed from the politics of the wizarding world, but this light side seems to want the gifts of new magic to be unprepared for what they have” a small sigh escaped him at this, taking another sip of tea he continued “Of course, I prefer Lillian to have a say in her placement given her background, and as such, before we depart today I would appreciate it if she could have some time to talk with the two of you”

Narcissa leaned forward as she spoke, delicately fixing herself a plate with a tart on it “Of course, she should be fully comfortable with her arrangements, we would be happy to take some time to talk with the young heiress” she took a small bite of her tart, dabbing her lips before speaking again “I must also confess, our short meeting yesterday and her impressive handling of the intentions ritual have endeared me to her” she looked out to the children then, “my motherly instinct propels me to offer anything I can to her”

Giving another sip of the tasteless tea, Aidoneus gave a pleased nod “I find myself satisfied, let’s give the children more time to socialize, it looks like your son still has a few important details of quidditch to impart” They all gave a chuckle at this, returning to small talk, and watching the children, Aidoneus using the opportunity to brush up on the finer details of current events.

After another half hour Narcissa stood, looking towards the men momentarily as she walked outside “Lucius, would you be a dear and show Lord DeMort to the study, whilst I gather the children and send Draco off to reply to the Zambini boy” The two men gave her a nod and left the room talking about the current politics while she stepped out onto the patio where Draco held Holly entranced. He was diving into the finer points of who was a better seeker between two teams as she walked up “Draco dearest, give poor Lillian a chance to take in the deluge of information you’ve given her and breath.”

Draco stopped in the middle of what he was saying, hands still in the air “Sorry Mother, I got carried away” realizing his hands where in the air, he dropped them to his lap, looking down chastised.

Holly smiled at that, looking up to the tall woman “I don’t mind Lady Malfoy, I have so much to catch up on, I find it fascinating” Folding her hands in her lap, smoothing her green dress at the same time.

“Please dear, you may call me Narcissa, be that as it may, Draco here needs to learn to include others in his conversations” She gave him a gentle reproaching look at that “On that note, I’m here to tear you away from my son dear, Lord DeMort is readying to leave so I’ll escort you to him in my husband’s study, while Draco takes some time to respond to a letter from one of his friends”

Draco pouted at this but stood and walked over to Holly and offered her his arm “May I, Lillian?” looking up she smiled and hooked her arm in his as she stood. The two of them followed after Narcissa and Holly continued to ask simple questions about quidditch and seekers. They were stopped in front of a room that Holly heard soft hooting from, causing Draco to gently unlink their arms, giving a nod to his mother and a small bow to Holly “Mother, Lillian I look forward to seeing you again, perhaps we will be able to play a small game of quidditch next time” The boy turned into the room as Narcissa led Holly further down the hall.

The study was only a few doors down, and Holly smiled brightly at seeing Aidoneus again, going to stand next to him as he and Lucius finished their conversation on someone named Fudge. Her guardian looked up at her with a small smile, “Ah, Lillian, I have spoken to the Malfoys very briefly about your need for accommodations, I felt it best to ask them to set aside some time to let you ask them questions if that is alright with you?”

Smiling a bit sadly this time, she nodded, sitting in a chair next to him, gently arranging her dress around her, flattening the silver ribbon as Narcissa brought her more tea and sat across from them with Lucius. Lucius was the first to speak, seeming to try to find a comforting way to start the conversation “Lord DeMort has told us that he will need to be out of the country, we would be happy to have you and as such are happy to answer anything you might think of about your care here or potential stay.”

Holly contemplated this and nodded slightly thinking of the best way to approach the conversation “Thank you Lord Malfoy, Narcissa, I think it may be best to start with a question that you may not understand at first.” The other woman smiled gently at her as she spoke, seeming to prompt her to continue speaking “How well did you know the Potter family?”

Though they had looked confused before, now they seemed almost openly shocked that the pale girl in front of them even knew who the Potter family was. Narcissa answered this time curiosity flickering in the woman’s eyes “House Malfoy has always been close with House Potter, not that the public would have you believe it. Lilly Potter was one of my closest friends, and their daughter Holly was to live with us after their deaths, though that didn’t happen” resting her hands folded together she looked curiously at who she still believed to be Lillian DeMort “Is there any particular reason to bring the Potters into this? Though we are happy to speak about anything we can to assuage your mind.”

Something about the concern hidden just under their pureblood masks made Holly resolve to tell them who she was, knowing Aidoneus would protect her if they responded poorly. “There are a few reasons to bring them up,” As she began speaking, she did her best to focus on the magic she had felt when she changed her features, letting it drop and begin revealing her true face “While it is true that Aidoneus saved me from my muggle relatives and has made me his heir, and I am recognized as Lillian DeMort”

Her hair was the last to finish changing, her braid flushing out to a bright copper in the firelight of the room, the Malfoys both looking at her with unsuppressed shock. “My real name though is Holly Lillian-Grace Potter, Aidoneus saved me from my muggle relatives, and took me in.” she took a deep breath, glad they hadn’t interrupted her yet “When we went to Gringotts, we found out someone named Dumbledore has been meddling with my parents will landing me with my Aunt, just for starters”

She could see anger rising in their eyes as she spoke, Lucius standing abruptly when she mentioned Dumbledore, stalking over to a liquor cabinet and pouring a healthy drink, bringing one to Aidoneus and Narcissa as she finished. “You said for starters? There is more that Dumbledore did?” Holly nodded, looking to Aidoneus before launching into an explanation of what else they had found out at the bank, being as vague as she could about what Ragnok found in her memories.

Finishing her explanation, she looked up to them again, seeing Narcissa on the verge of tears “So that’s why we came to you, Lord Black is in prison, the Longbottoms are in St. Mungo’s, once we met in the ally yesterday, it seemed the best option to start with.”

Narcissa stood at this, coming over to kneel in front of Holly hugging her, she did her best not to stiffen as she felt the older woman’s tears on her shoulder “You will always be welcome in this house, Lily was almost like a sister to me, and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t do everything I could for you” She pulled back at this, giving a gentle sniff and composing herself, “Of course this is only if you wish to stay here, we would never force you to do anything you didn’t wish”

Lucius spoke next, standing with his empty glass near the fire, “I wholeheartedly agree with my wife, I was not as close with the Potters as she, but I had a great respect for the both of them.” He looked between Holly and Aidoneus “I promise I will use the full weight of the Malfoy name to help however you may wish it”

Holly looked between the two purebloods in front of her, deciding that even if she felt different by the start of the term, at least she would be safer than being alone at the Leaky Cauldron “I’d be delighted to stay with you, at the very least until the term starts.” Looking to Aidoneus, unsure of what would happen next, only thinking as far as seeing if she would even be comfortable with the Malfoys.

Her guardian smiled over to her, “Well Holly, if you’re sure, then it would be a simple matter to have your things brought from the Leaky Cauldron” she looked both pleased and upset by this, so he continued, “and of course, I will stay and help you settle in before I must depart tonight, if you wish it?”

Holly nodded vigorously a this, wanting to delay Aidoneus leaving for as long as she could, even though she knew he would be tonight in the end. This caused Narcissa to immediately snap her fingers, a house elf appearing even as she spoke “Tilly, please gather Lillian’s things from the Leaky Cauldron, and have them moved to the emerald room across from Draco’s please, and let Tom know that she is departed”

Tilly bowed and squeaked out a quick “Yes, Lady Malfoy’s, I’s be getting the young Mistresses things right away’s”, before popping away as fast as the little elf had appeared.

The Malfoys moved to the door, and Aidoneus stood with them, “Please, we’ll lead you to your new room and let you and Lord DeMort have some time to decorate it to your tastes before dinner” Lucius gestured to the door as she came to stand with them, following behind as they led through the corridors to another portion of the large manor. Holly knew she would have the toughest time remembering how to navigate it as they came to a door that was only differentiated from the others by the emerald doorknob it sported. As the Malfoys opened the door to give Holly a view of her new room, the house elf popped in the room with all her things neatly piled in the middle of the room.

Lucius gave what she assumed was the warmest smile he knew how to muster “We’ll leave you and Lord DeMort to decorating, please feel free to change anything you need to about the room, we won’t mind at all” He motioned to the elf still standing in the room, “just call for Tilly when you’re done and she will lead you to the dining hall” at that the elf popped out of the room, while the Malfoys left, leaving Holly to survey her new living space with Aidoneus.

Looking around her, the room was easily twice the size of the one at the Leaky Cauldron, leaving her amazed again at how quickly her life had changed. Taking in the green toned room, Holly felt lost at the prospect of even getting to stay in a room so lavish, let alone the Malfoys letting her change whatever she wanted to about it. Her eyes drifted to the middle of the room where her new trunk and other things sat, stacked neatly waiting for her decisions.

She felt Aidoneus move behind her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder, making her jump slightly before looking up at him apologetically as he smiled down on her “Shall we get your things sorted?”

They spent the next hour with Aidoneus spelling Holly’s things away in the room and transfiguring the furniture and lighting around the room until she was happy with it, only having a momentary break when he transfigured and floated a miniature bear after her around the room. Holly was giggling on her bed as they finished, the room having gone from the lavish and upper class styled room to an evergreen sanctuary with soft golden lighting coming from various areas around the room. Her canopy bed now imitating old growth trees, the canopy of leaves gently rustling in a source-less wind, she swung her feet, her toes brushing the carpet that now gave the look and feel of gently glowing soft moss.

Flopping back onto the bed and looking up at the gentle lighting filtering through the leaves she gave a soft sigh, barely speaking loud enough for Aidoneus to hear her “It’s perfect…thank you Aidoneus”

He stepped up to the bed, sitting next to her with an uncharacteristically soft smile, even compared to the last few days, and gave her a gentle pat on the head before speaking just as softly. “I’m glad Little Master, do you believe you are ready to have dinner?”

Barely looking over to him, he felt her nod slightly against his hand while giving another sigh as he stood up, waving his hand to conjure a necklace before turning to her as Holly stood and smoothed her robes down.

“This is for you Little One, it is the gift I mentioned earlier, if you are ever in an impossible situation and need my help, I will know, it will also let you speak to me telepathically, though I may not be able to always answer or speak with you long.” Kneeling in front of her, he held the necklace out to her, it was a deep black beaded thing that reminded Holly of a rosary, except instead of a catholic medal, there was a strange symbol.

Taking in and sliding it on over her head as he continued to speak, she felt a comforting coolness seep into her skin as it settled. “No one will be able to take this off of you, and only those you wish it will see the necklace, I hope that it reminds you in the coming months and years that I am always here for you, even if only in spirit Little Master”

Holly looked down at the new piece of jewelry, staring at the circle inside a triangle, cut through by a line, and tried to remember why it looked so familiar. She gave Aidoneus another small nod, starting to tear up at his words, before giving up and rushing to the man and latching onto him sobbing. He simply waited for her to begin to calm down on her own, laying a hand on her head once again, letting her sniff into his robes before she spoke in a small voice “I think I’m ready now, I’m sorry about that, thank you again Aidoneus”

He patted her head gently, before letting her step away from him wiping her face clear of tears while he stood straighter calling for the house elf from earlier “Tilly, if you would please lead us down to the dining hall”

The house elf popped into the room already bowing “Yes Master Pluto, Tilly’s be bringing you’s and the Little Mistress to the eating room with the Malfoy’s if you’s please follow me’s”

Giving one last sniff and standing straighter, Holly followed after the small elf and the pale man that had changed her life so much in a few short days. Winding through the halls to meet the Malfoys, Holly steeled herself to present as the slightly naïve girl eager to learn about the wizarding world. While not entirely untrue, she was learning very quickly since the meeting with the Goblins, and her time with the Dursley’s had left her with more cunning and manipulative tendencies than many gave her credit for.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she realized that they where at the dining hall and Tilly was once again bowing to them, saying her goodbyes before popping away, leaving them standing at the door to her new future. The next hour was a blur of polite conversation, Draco throwing a slight tantrum at being the last to find out her identity before promising to teach her to play quidditch promptly the next day. Holly held back her tears once more as she watched Aidoneus leave the manor, Lady Malfoy giving her a gentle touch on the shoulder before they let her retire for the night.

Nearly a month later, on the first of September, Holly was arguing with Draco and Pansy about which books she was taking with her and which having Narcissa hold onto until winter break. The young black-haired girl stood with Draco, her hands on her hips looking at the pile that Holly had amassed since she began staying at the manor, having bought her own copies of anything that had interested her in the Malfoy library. “You’ve already read all of these and can remember more than the adults around here ‘Ly, Dray is right you should just bring the school texts and the books you’re reading now, and if you need more Narcissa can send them to you”

Huffing as she looked between the two, Holly nodded reluctantly “you’re right of course, I just don’t know if I’ll need to reference any of them while I’m studying”

“You know that you wont dearest Holly branch” a voice came from the entry to her room, where a dark-skinned boy stood, leaning casually on the door frame, “Lady Malfoy sent me to gather you three, we’re leaving by portkey in ten minutes, and she was very insistent that you be down as fast as possible ‘Ly”

Nodding, she spelled the books she wouldn’t be taking onto the new selves Lord Malfoy had helped her create, after he had stumbled over a pile of her books when gathering her for dinner one night. “Thank you, Blaise, we’ll be right there, I’m finishing up now” Quickly finishing her packing, she thanked Tilly as the elf took her luggage wherever it needed to go, and she rushed to catch up to her friends as they made their way down to the main hall. Draco prattled on about what it would be like at the school, bringing up the different things Lord Malfoy had told him to expect.

Reaching the landing and rolling her eyes with Pansy, she went to give a greeting to the adult Malfoys, only to be stopped in her tracks. Smiling softly at her from next to her hosts was Aidoneus, draped in the darkest robes she had seen yet, and looking as pale as ever. Loosing all composure and squealing as she ran to him hugging him tightly “You never said you were going to be here today when we talked! I’m so glad to see you! Did your business in the south go well? Did your assistant give you anymore trouble? How long are you staying?”

The others looked on as she rambled excitedly on to the man who was now giving her a warm if exasperated look, Blaise speaking lowly to Draco “That’s her guardian then? He’s even more intimidating than you said”

Draco only nodded gravely as the man before them spoke softly to Holly, “I am glad you are so excited to see me Little One, sadly I am only here to see you off to Hogwarts with the Malfoy’s but I will never be far if you need to speak with me, my business did go well, and my assistant was mostly able to keep herself together for the rest of the trip, though I hold no hope for the next one I must confess” Holly seemed to be the only one immune to the immense presence that the man gave off, though all besides the house elves simply assumed it came from being the heir to one of the oldest and most reclusive houses known to the wizarding world.

The man nodded to the Malfoys as Lucius cleared his throat, holding up an old china plate “The portkey is about to activate all, please gather around and we can continue our conversations in the waiting area at Platform 9 and 3/4s” Holly strode over with Aidoneus, while the others joined them, the children all looking at each other with a mix of excitement and anxiety before they were all pulled from their navels, being thrown into a comfortable room, everyone but Holly landing well. Aidoneus held out his arm, catching the small girl as she tumbled out of the air.

The Malfoy patriarch spoke again as they settled into the couches around the room Holly happily swinging her legs next to her guardian, “well, now that we are settled, we have an hour before we will need to get you children boarded on the train, and as you can see Holly, we spoke with Lord DeMort to have him see you off as well, since this would likely be the last chance until winter holidays” the girl beamed at the older Malfoys as he spoke “Tilly has gathered all your luggage and you’re owls onto the train already so you will simply need to go to your compartment once you board, let us enjoy this time before we must send you all off”

Aidoneus looked down to his young master, pleased at how much she had flourished in such a short amount of time “you have learned much in this month from what you have told me, last I remember you were beginning your studies into soul mates?”

This caused the young girl to perk up even more, launching into an explanation of the research she had done already, Draco and the others laughing as the explained her predicament “There’s not much on the subject, so far as I’ve found, and what there is, is so frustratingly vague ‘one will know their soul bound by the things that they speak’ but that’s it! And the Malfoys refuse to tell me anymore on the subject, and so does Draco! It’s all very infuriating Aidoneus”

He smiled more warmly down at her as Narcissa gave a warm retort, “Holly you know that it isn’t something we can speak on, we aren’t your parents, or guardians, and it’s something intensely private in our world”

Giving a small huff, she nodded, “I know Narcissa, I just want to know all I can! The more I know the better I’ll be able to play off as naïve, I could make a mistake if I’m caught off guard by knowledge that I don’t have, what if my soul mate is someone who is sided with Dumbledore?”

A laugh came from next to her, startling everyone in the room “Ah, Little One, you are worrying too much! You are still very young to be thinking about soul mates, and the machinations of that old man, you must remember that you are only eleven, and must appear as such to most of the wizarding world…” He looked down at her as he continued speaking “You may not have me by your side all the time, but I am never far when you truly need me, and when the time comes and you find yourself against the old man in public, you will not be alone.”

Contemplating this Holly gave a slight nod, before Lucius tactfully changed the subject to some political matter that had come up in the month that Aidoneus had been gone. The adults shifted to that conversation as Holly began chatting with Draco and the others about what houses they believed they would be in. In what seemed like no time at all, a small chime sounded throughout the room causing the conversations to die down, Lady Malfoy standing with the others, looking as regal as ever while ushering them towards the door to the platform. Holly could see by the slight pinching at her eyes, and tremor to her hands, that she was just as anxious as they where about them leaving for Hogwarts.

Stepping out onto the main platform there where many wizarding and muggle families saying their goodbyes, Holly even thought she saw Hermione’s hair through the crowd. They made their way towards the train entrance where they could see Tilly in the window holding what she guessed was to be their compartment for the train ride. Looking up to Aidoneus, Holly smiled with slightly teary eyes, and hugged the man once again “Thank you for coming, I wouldn’t be here without your help Silver-Tongue” stepping back, she straightened herself and did her best pureblood imitation, “I do so look forward to seeing you over the break, I’m sure I’ll have much to tell you about my studies”

Holding the look for a moment longer, they both broke into a smile and Holly began giggling, “I look forward to the Holidays as well Little One, I know you’ll do quite well this year” he nodded his head at the train behind her, “I do believe though that you had best catch your friends before they take the best seats in the cabin, yes?”

Her eyes widening, she looked back and saw the other three beginning to board the train, the Parkinson’s and Blaise’s mother having shown up to bid their children goodbye as well. Holly threw him a grateful glance, quickly hugging him once more before bounding after them, a trailing “Thank you!!” coming from her as she reached her friends. She looked back and waved once more, before stepping up, sliding passed Blaise who was still talking with his mother, when she heard a loud “Was that Holly Potter?” whispers of the Girl Who Lived quickly spreading among the crowd gathered to see the students off. Holly slide further behind Blaise, quickly morphing into her Lillian persona, before stepping back out and looking for the source.

Spotting a young red headed boy craning his neck to see where “Holly” had gone, she knew that she had made the right choice, as the whispers and speculations continued in the crowd. Aidoneus had kept the warm smile on his face, though she could see that he had become tense since the proclamation and nodded at them to get on the train. Giving one last wave, Holly pulled Draco on board with her, leading to their cabin and stepping in with a relieved sigh as Tilly bowed and popped away.

Draco gave her a small smiled before moving to the window and waving at his parents, Pansy and Blaise following them in shortly and doing the same. Holly returned her friends smiles and turned to look out the window again as the trains whistle sounded, and steam began to burst out as it was getting ready to pull away from the station. If it weren’t for the way her nails dug into her palm as she sat there, Holly felt like everything that had happened would end up being some fever dream and she would wake up back at the Dursley’s once again, waking to the inside of her cramped cupboard.

Closing her eyes briefly with a smile she marveled at the different magics that wove together around them, thin golden threads moving subtly through them all. Death felt his heart clench, something that had not happened in many millennia, and Fate gave a somber smile as she wove her magic through the players in Holly’s life. With another loud whistle, and burst of steam, Holly was set forth to the next chapter of her life to unfold before her at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! I am so sorry this took me so long, I thought I would have much more time even with school starting up, but life just kicked me in the ass and let me know that I was absolutely wrong. I'll be taking out the mentions of when I might be updating in the main summary, and I'm just going to do my best to keep on a somewhat normal schedule, but I can't really make any promises. I hope you are all staying safe, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. The Night is Blackest Before the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly arrives at Hogwarts, new friends are made, threads begin to weave themselves tighter, and Holly begins to find her place.

Looking out the window of the train, she waved to Aidoneus and the Malfoys as they pulled away, glad she had gotten to see him again before leaving for Hogwarts, even with the near miss of being recognized. Pansy was chatting quietly with Blaise, while Draco looked out the window with her, he gave he a sideways glance speaking softly as their parents went out of view. “It’ll be alright you know? But maybe we should have you stay in your Lillian look until closer to the sorting?”

She nodded turning to the rest of the cabin as Pansy and Blaise turned their attention to the pair, the other girl chiming in as Holly settled into her seat fiddling with her necklace “Dray’s right, it might be best to avoid any undue attention until you can’t avoid it, especially since you’re likely to be in Slytherin with us,” she paused at that, looking at her with a scrutinous eye. “Though you could be in Ravenclaw pretty easily I suppose”

Blaise considered her as well, before giving a sniff looking up dismissively “She’ll be in Slytherin, we all know she’s too cunning for anything else, even if she’s good at making us forget it” this gained laughs from the other two as Holly swatted at the dark boy indignantly. They spent the next half hour of the train ride chatting like this, only to get interrupted by Hermione entering the cabin.

“Ah please excuse my interruption, I was looking to see if anyone had seen a toad? It’s only that Neville has lost his”

Holly shook her head as she looked to the others for confirmation, “No sadly we ha-” she was cut off by a soft ‘ruuiibit’ from near her feet where a portly green toad sat, seeming somehow pleased with itself. “Well I stand corrected; it seems we have seen a toad after all…”

She gave the others a quick look that told them not to argue with her “If you’d like we could watch the toad, and you and Neville could join us Ms. ...?”

Hermione looked slightly shocked, but snapped out of it at her prompting, “Oh, my apologies, Granger, Hermione Granger.” Looking down the hall of the train, she seemed to resolve herself, “If you’re sure it would be alright, I think we might just, the other children are rather…”

“Crude pillocks?” Draco drawled being surprisingly polite, even with Holly’s look, making Hermione give a start, before flashing a small smirk and nod towards the boy.

Looking back out to the hall, she nodded again speaking quickly “Right, I’ll go fetch Neville, and return shortly” before closing their cabin door as she walked primly off.

The others looked to Holly as the other girl left, all waiting for her to explain with typical pure blood raised eyebrows. Holly just sighed “I met her in Diagon, she’s a nice girl and you all need to see more from the muggleborn perspective, we’ve only known each other a month and I’ve already explained more than you’ve learned about us the last eleven.” They all looked away at that, Draco having the good grace to look slightly abashed, if still haughty.

Pansy lifted her chin, “well if she’s willing to learn and ‘Ly thinks it would be good to know her I have to agree” Blaise nodded before stretching back out in the bench next to Holly.

“Yes, fine, I will get to know the mud-” Draco stopped short at the look Holly threw him, “…muggle girl, and Neville” the small girl simply raised her eyebrow in an imitation of what the others had done earlier, keeping her eyes locked to the blonde boy. “I will also be as polite as I can manage, does this suffice for you Holly branch?” Nodding, Holly gave Draco a pleased smile, leaning back into her seat, and nudging Blaise’s leg out of the way.

The moment was over quickly when Hermione returned with a slightly chubby boy in tow, who Holly assumed must have been Neville. The boy blanched slightly when he saw Draco and the others before straightening with a gulp, he gave a slight bow before stammering out “H-heir Malfoy, f-friends, I a-am Heir L-longbottom, it is a p-pleasure.”

She could see Draco fighting a sneer as he stood, bowing back to the timid boy “Heir Longbottom, welcome, let me introduce you to my companions” he swept a hand across the cabin as he spoke, “This is Heir Parkinson, Heir Zambini, and Heir DeMort, please join us”

As Draco sat back down, Pansy moved to the other end of her seat and motioned for Hermione to sit between them, while Neville sat on the other side of Blaise, as far from Draco as he could. As the settled in, Hermione looked around the train cabin with interest “If I may, was that a normal wizarding greeting or something for upper-class families?”

Draco looked at the girl with surprise written on his face, before Pansy gave a blinding smile answering before he had the chance. “It is a pureblood greeting, thank you for asking Hermione, it’s said in a situation when two pureblood families are going to be getting to know each other or attempting to form a friendship” Hermione nodded along to Pansy’s explanation, looking between the blonde next to her and Neville.

“Fascinating, none of the books they suggest for us muggleborns go into anything like that, but I picked up some extra ones that mentioned pureblood etiquette” She lifted her head a bit, and continued speaking, “of course, I wont expect the four of you to explain more of such intricacies to me on the train ride to school, I shall simply have to do more research now that I know there is etiquette I may be breaking.”

Neville piped up quietly at her proclamation, “I can lend you some of my childhood books on the subject, I’m certain my grandmother still has them” This made Hermione beam at the chubby boy, nodding her head in acceptance of his offer.

Pansy seemed exceptionally pleased as her earlier wish seemed to immediately come to fruition, and looked over to the bushy haired girl “I also would like to offer you help with this, I can give you more information on how ladies are meant to observe the etiquette, as well as some of the spells you may miss out on in normal schooling that many of us have learned” She nodded to Holly at this “I’m doing the same with Holly so you would be a welcome addition to our lessons”

Hermione beamed even brighter as Holly broke in “Absolutely! I would love to have someone else join me, it would be better to study this together than on my own” smiling softly she deftly changed the subject. “With that settled, what are you all looking forward to at Hogwarts? I think I’m looking forward to living in a dorm with other girls...”

They continued this conversation, all interjecting things that they where looking forward to most, Draco surprised them by mentioning his interest in learning more about potions, and Neville piped in that while he wasn’t good at it, he was looking forward to flying lessons. The time passed easily as they all continued talking, Neville slowly opening up more and beginning to stutter less, and Hermione fitting in easily with the group as they were already used to Holly’s insatiable need for knowledge. A pause came when the trolly came by their cabin, and they ended up buying multiples of everything so that Hermione and Holly could experience magical treats. They began laughing when Holly’s chocolate frog landed on Draco, causing the boy to splutter and stick his nose in the air haughtily declaring the man to be a “Doddering old fool, that’s what my Father says” when she pulled Albus Dumbledore.

Soon enough the train gave a signal that they where reaching close to Hogwarts and the students should begin to change, causing Hermione to jolt, “Oh, I need to use the restroom first! Please excuse me, I’ll just get changed their since I’m already going” she bounded out of the cabin with her robes as she spoke, causing the rest of them to laugh at the girl’s eagerness.

Neville gave a nod to the rest of them, “My things are in another cabin, so I’ll go get ready there and b-be back if that’s all r-right?” Draco gave a nod with the others, seeming to have softened to the other boy after they had both found they shared a passion for Quidditch, and both like being chasers. The smaller boy gave a soft smile as he left the cabin with his toad Trevor in his pocket, leaving the original group to get ready amongst themselves.

Pansy erected a partition for her and Holly to get changed behind, while the boys got ready on the other side, making small talk and planning what to do about Holly and her Lillian cover before the feast, and if they should tell Neville and Hermione. They came to a decision on both matters but had to drop it as the others returned having finished getting ready, and they began talking together idlily again. All of them becoming more nervous at their impending arrival to the school, and before long the red steam engine came to a stop, and they all knew they had arrived at a new chapter of their lives.

Holly stepped off the train with Draco ahead of her, having decided as they got ready to leave the train, to act as if they didn’t know each other until after the sorting, to keep her and her “Lillian” persona safe. Ahead of them they saw a giant man with the biggest beard Holly had seen, shepherding the first years away from the rest of the students. “Firs’ Years! Firs’ Years ov’r here!”

The boisterous redhead from the train stumbled in front of Holly, causing the giant to look over to him, “Alright there Ron?” giving a small nod of his head to the giant, the man kept talking “C’mon follow me! Any more firs’ years? Mind yer step now! Firs’ years follow me!”

The older students kept walking into the distance towards carriages lining a road not far from the train’s platform, while Holly and the rest of the first years followed the giant down a steep narrow path. She saw Neville stumble a bit, only to be steadied by Blaise, she almost slipper herself so she turned her attention back to the path. It grew darker on either side of their group as they walked, and Holly breathed in the smell of the pines that must have been growing thick on either side of them. There was little talking, and Holly even heard Neville sniff every now and then before the silence was broken by the large man leading the group.

“Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” he looked over his shoulder, shaggy hair and beard slightly muffling his voice, “jus’ round this bend here.”

The narrow path they were on opened up dramatically to reveal the edge of a large lake, shining black in the nights light. On the other side of the lake rose a tall mountain, on top of which sat an impressive castle, the starry night sky sparkling off the windows dotting the towers and turrets that rose up on its profile. The sight drew an awed “Oooooh!” from the group of first years around Holly as they stood stunned by the view presented to them.

Their reverie was broken by the large man pointing to a small group of boats waiting for them in the water just off the shore “No more’n four to a boat!” he called out as they began filing to them. Holly was joined by three students she didn’t recognize in her boat, all of them too nervous and awed to speak much as they set off with the giant giving a shouted “Everyone in?” from the boat he had to himself “Right then, FORWARD!”

Their little fleet of boats glided forward across the lake, small ripples breaking the surface that looked like a glass mirror. They all stayed silent staring up at the castle above them as it crept closer, beginning to tower over them as they sailed.

They came closer to the cliff that the castle sat on, no longer able to see its glittering windows, when the giant yelled once more, “Heads down!” The first boats reached the cliffs, and they all ducked their heads as they passed through a curtain of ivy that hid the large mouth of a cave open in the side of the cliff. As the traveled through the cave it turned into a dark tunnel that felt as if it brought them right under the castle, and Holly began to feel the magic washing over her as the strings glowed faintly around them, soothing her nerves.

They reached a dock, where they all clambered out of their boats onto the rocky ground, the large man, turning to check all the boats as they did. “Oy, you there! Is this your toad?”

“Trevor!” Neville cried out happily, returning to Blaise’s side with the toad firmly in his hands. With the boat check over, they began their trek through a passageway. As they walked through the passage from the lake, Holly shivered with the rest of the murmuring students, her hand going to the comforting chill of her necklace.

Suddenly though, she was struck by the oddest sense of being home, a feeling more comfortable than even her room at the Malfoy’s felt. She let the feeling wash over her and figured this must be something to do with the ‘Building Familiar’ that was mentioned at Gringotts. As she thought that, Holly noticed a shift in the feeling and magic around her, almost as if the building where try to nod it’s head to her thoughts, smiling lightly she promised herself and the school that she would learn more about what this meant after she got settled in.

They were led through the passage and finally came out into the light, and Holly found herself looking at the majestic entry hall of the castle around her in a dreamlike daze, while the other children whispered excitedly to each other. The large man spoke, and Holly noticed a tall woman in green robes waiting for them “The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall”

The woman gave a nod, her black hair pulled into a prim bun that felt at home with her stern face, “Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here.” She led them further into the hall as Hagrid departed, letting Holly observe the hall better, it was large and lit with torches like she had seen at Gringotts, with a ceiling that was so high, she couldn’t make it out. The rest of the group tightened together, seeming to feel the need for safety in numbers at the sheer size of the room around them, and they began to hear the muffled sounds of hundreds of voices from a room ahead of them. Even as the drew closer to the noise, which made Holly assume the rest of the school must already be gathered, the group of first years where led by the Professor to a small chamber off the hall, allowing them to crowd into the empty room.

Hermione quoted something from Hogwarts: A History, when a pack of actual ghosts had floated through the wall, but Holly couldn’t take it in for the life of her. Holly still couldn’t believe what was happening to her, as only a few short months before that she had been living in the cupboard under the stairs with Aunt Petunia wishing that she could live somewhere, anywhere, else.

Now here she was, standing in a magical castle that taught magic to children and raised them to be part of a secret wizarding world. Quelling her hope, Hollys attention was brought back to the present when the stern, matronly woman grabbed their attention, suddenly glad that she hadn’t been recognized by anyone on the way to the school, like she had been on the platform with Aidoneus, as the petulant red headed boy from the train, whined about something to her. She waved him off, intoning quietly to him “That’s quite alright Mr. Weasley, we’ll know soon enough.” Before looking over all of them assembled before her

“Now. I am Professor McGonagall, welcome to Hogwarts. The start of the term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

‘The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

‘The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”

Her gaze lingered on the red headed boy, as she pointedly tapped at her nose, as his face turned almost as red as his hair while he vigorously rubbed his nose with the sleeve of his robe. Holly did her best to be the meek girl she played at the Dursleys, unnoticed, given no second thought, and more invisible than the ghosts that had just graced the entrance hall. It helped that Holly’s eyes had changed to a mousey hazel and not the vibrant emerald green she is apparently known for by all in the wizarding world. Her attention slipped as the group began to chatter, she could hear Ron start speculating more and more wild examples of what the sorting might be.

Malfoy drew her attention as he talked with the children around him, sneering, rather impressively for an eleven-year-old, in the direction of the red headed boy. “ ** _Of_ course, **he’s a Weasley, red hair, hand-me-down robes, and idiot ideas about the sorting ceremony to boot!” The time she had spent with him over the summer after meeting him in the ally showed her that he was a little rude, if only due to isolation and his belief in status. He was still more honest than anyone else the young girl had met, if a tad biased, so she quietly wound her way towards where he was posturing loudly to the surrounding children. “I’ll be in Slytherin, of course, all Malfoys have been right from the start.” He looked towards the Weasley boy and sneered, “unlike **_some_** people, I couldn’t bear to be lumped in with the Gryffindorks.”

Hermione was shaking her head as Holly’s eyes darted to the doors of the great hall as Professor McGonagall came back in, stoic eyes sweeping over the children, “This way please” came her sharp voice, before turning and setting a brisk pace into the great hall, not once looking to see if they were following.

Entering the great hall was like being thrown into another world entirely once again, the hall around them glowed with the light from thousands of floating candles, floating over four long tables on either side of them. Holly was mesmerized, the ceiling above her shone brightly with the stars of the night sky, and she heard distantly Hermione explaining that it was enchanted to show the sky outside. As they came up the middle of the tables, she saw a stool with a ratty old witch’s hat sitting on it in front of a table at the top of the hall where the teachers sat. She barely held back her gasp when a tear opened itself in the front of the hat and she could see a face as it started singing, rather badly.

“Oh, you may not think I’m pretty,

But don’t judge on what you see,

I’ll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There’s nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can’t see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you’ve a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You’ll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don’t be afraid!

And don’t get in a flap!

You’re in safe hands (though I have none)

For I’m a Thinking Cap!”

Thinking hard as names started being called, Holly watched as the students began sitting on the stool with the hat on their head, getting sorted when the hat yelled out their new house. Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw, she looked pleased, and frighteningly eager as she walked to the clapping table. Neville got sorted into Hufflepuff, seeming both pleased and deflated at the same time, be for long Malfoy was sorted in to Slytherin, which was no surprise, the hat barely had to touch his hair before yelling out the boy’s house, but Holly only grew more nervous as it drew closer to her turn.

She made sure that no one was watching as she slowly turned her features back to the ones that they were expecting of Lily and James’ daughter. She was glad she had as her name was called and all eyes turned to her while the great hall went silent as she stepped up to the stool, the stern woman had a brow furrowed as if she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed her until now. Silence reigned before whispers began breaking out all around her as Professor McGonagall placed the hat upon her head.

Startling slightly as she heard a new voice in her head rasping to her **_“_ _Ahhh…difficult, veerry difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, ah my goodness yes, and a nice thirst to prove yourself, and power, a great deal of power, now that’s interesting…you’ve also met with your Patron already, haven’t you?”_**

**_“My Patron, do you mean Aidoneus?”_** Holly closed her eyes and thought back at the hat, who she could almost feel nodding at her words.

**_“Indeed, Mort, Hades, Azrael, Odin, Anubis, Pluto, Lord Death. Aidoneus, if that is what you wish to call him,”_** The hat seemed to settle on her, and she felt it almost slide into her mind more comfortably before continuing. **_“At any rate, he is the one supporting and guiding you in your life, in some manner at least, even if the Old Laws keep him from intervening too heavily”_**

She nodded gently **_“Oh, that makes sense, I didn’t know that was the word for it”_**

The hat nodded **_“Yes, Patron is what he would be to you, something exceedingly rare these days Little Master”_** he seemed to straighten in her mind, **_“So to the matter at hand, where shall I put you??”_**

Holly gripped the stool as she thought hard, **_“_ _Somewhere they’ll be truthful about why they want to know me. Somewhere I’ll learn to be my own person and not a pawn for someone else”_**

**_“Not a pawn, eh? Are you sure?”_ **

Almost physically nodding, Holly agreed with all her might in her head **_“Yes, more than anything.”_**

She felt the hat grin on her head, **_“Well then, it had better be…”_**

**“SLYTHERIN!”** There was a rush of silence over the room as the hat made its proclamation. She stood up amongst stunned silence and tentative, but polite claps from the Slytherin table, and made her way over, sitting down next to Malfoy when he pointedly moved the students next to him down so that she could have a seat.

Observing the head table as she sat, her eyes were drawn to two people, firstly an old man who looked like he was out of a muggle children’s book. He was wearing obnoxiously vibrant red robes with golden stars and planets zooming around them, a matching hat covering his shining long silver hair, and had an equally long beard that was tucked into his belt. She remembered him as Albus Dumbledore, having seen him on her first chocolate frog card, his face was set in a grandfatherly smile, politely clapping for each student, but she could see that his eyes, which had been twinkling before, where now like piercing blue chips of ice, hard with displeasure.

Looking away from the Headmaster discomforted by his obvious anger at her sorting, Hollys gaze settled on the second man, who she recognized as the man leaving the apothecary in Diagon Ally. Tall and thin, he had a severe face and wore all black, only clapping once for students who were sorted into the other houses but gave a more subtly enthusiastic clap for those in Slytherin. The man’s eyes seemed as black and inky as his shoulder length hair, and his expression gave nothing away until he looked at her, a flicker of curiosity and something she thought looked like pain crossed his face, disappearing just as fast as it came before he looked pointedly away.

Her scar started stinging almost as fast, prompting her to look away from the head table, avoiding showing any sign of her pain. She gave a small smile and wave to Hagrid, as she did, endeared to the giant after he had helped her at the lake shore. He seemed relieved and pleased at her acknowledgement, raising a meaty palm at her before he looked away clapping heartily for Ron, who she learned was indeed a Weasley. He went and sat at the Gryffindor table with, who she assumed, were his brothers, twins, as they teased him, making the boy scowl. Weasley scowled even more when he saw her looking, prompting her to turn her attention away from him and back to the Slytherins around her.

She leant towards Malfoy, keeping her face as neutral as she could, trying to emulate Narcissa “I have a feeling I’ve just upset most of the people in this room, would you be so kind as to walk me through the political mess I just made after the feast?” Taking the overtly shocked nod the blonde boy gave as an affirmative, he was obviously trying to act as if they didn’t know each other, Holly held her hand out to him, like he did in the robe shop. “I believe we should be properly introduced then, my name is Holly Lillian-Grace Potter, but please call me Holly”

He schooled his face rather well, playing that they hadn’t met yet, and grasped her hand and gave it a firm squeeze and light shake, “Pleased to officially meet you Holly, My name is Draco Cygnus-Morgan Malfoy, Please call me Draco, I would be happy to explain the reason these simpletons have all turned in to Hufflepuffs, for now though, shall we enjoy the feast?”

As Draco finished speaking, and the sorting finished, the Headmaster stood, capturing the halls attention as he spoke, “Welcome,” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

‘Thank you!”

Sitting stunned, Holly turned back to the table, now laden with food, and asked to no one in particular, with a slight sneer, “Is he…Mad??”

This garnered her chuckles of approval from those around her as another boy in her year answered, “Quiet, he does something like this every year, Draco’s father keeps trying to get him forcibly retired due to being senile” the dark skinned boy paused, grabbing a steaming roll for his plate “I’m Blaise, by the way, Blaise Zambini”

Draco hummed in agreement with Blaise’s statement, and introduced her to the Slytherins in her year, and a few of the older students as well, while they ate. She kept her face calm through the introductions of those she already knew, and those she didn’t, and did her best to keep up with the polite chatter of the table, doing her best to eat her fill without being obvious that she still wasn’t used to eating full meals, even with Aidoneus’ help. She held back her excitement and desire as the desserts appeared, having learned well at the Dursleys that any interest or excitement in food meant torment and starvation. Flinching as Draco scooted up against her, she did her best to play it off as surprise at the appearance of the ghost next to the aristocratic boy.

It was an eleventh century noble man, covered in silvery blood with chains hanging, rattling slightly as he moved. “Ahh, the newest batch of Slytherins, you all look like you have some brains between you all. Do not disappoint, remember. Slytherins. Stick. Together.” His raspy words where punctuated by the rattling of his chains as the ghost shook his finger at them, before surging forward and down the table through the far wall.

As soon as the ghost had disappeared, so to, did the desserts, and Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet once again. The hall went silent as the man stood, “Ahern, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.’

‘First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”

Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, Holly could still see the ice chips in them, though he had hidden his anger much better since her sorting.

“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.’

‘Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.’

‘And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.”

Holly looked over to Draco at this shocked, “he’s not serious, is he?”

“Must be,” an older girl spoke from down the table, “It’s odd, even for the old coot, normally he gives some reason why students aren’t allowed to go somewhere, the Forbidden Forest is full of dangerous creatures and plants.” She looked down towards Holly briefly, “one would have expected him to tell the teachers and us prefects at the very least…” The girl trailed off as Dumbledore began speaking again.

“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” cried Dumbledore. Holly noticed that the other teachers’ smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

“Everyone pick their favorite tune,” said Dumbledore, “and off we go!” And the school bellowed:

“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they’re bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we’ve forgot,

just do your best, we’ll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.”

Holly stared befuddled as everyone in the hall finished at different times, and tunes. Finally, only the Weasley twins where left, singing to a slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducting the last lines of their performance with his wand, laughter and a round of applause rang through the hall as they sat down again.

“Ah, music,” The old man wiped his eyes as he spoke. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”

Holly was left dumbfounded at the old mans declaration and the song, the students around her rising up at the dismissal. A female voice rung out over the Slytherin table as they did “First year Slytherins to me please, once you’re all here together we’ll lead you to the dormitory!” Holly followed Draco to the girl, whose black hair gave flashes of red in the firelight of the great hall. She waited patiently for them to gather before continuing “I am Gemma Farley, your fifth-year prefect, follow me and we will go to the dormitory.”

With that they set off out of the great hall with the rest of the first years of other houses, quickly splitting up as all four groups went in different directions. Gemma began talking again as they trekked down the castle’s hall, heading down when the other houses had gone up or stayed on the ground floor. “Slytherin dorms are in the dungeon, and it is made purposely hard to find them, you have to know what to look for or you will end up hopelessly lost” they came to a stop a short distance into the dungeon halls, and the older girl pointed at an almost invisible carving in the corner of the wall.

“This snake, is carved on the corner, on the side of the wall where you need to turn to get to our dorms, do not tell other houses about this snake, or it will be changed.” She looked out to the small faces peering up at her and the small snake carving before nodding once and continuing their walk. “There are six prefects total in each house, and one head boy and girl, you can come to any of us if there is a problem that you are facing, but it would be wise to choose to come to myself or the other Slytherin prefects”

They came to a bare stretch of wall where Gemma pointed to another almost invisible snake, “This is the entrance to our common rooms, the password changes every fortnight it will be posted on the noticeboard of the common room” She turned to the wall “Silver Leaves”

Stepping back so that the small crowd of first years could see, Gemma smiled as the wall began to shift revealing a dark sturdy ornate door that swung open. “Please welcome to the Slytherin common rooms” She waved her hand, beckoning the children forward. They filed into the common room, all looking around them in muted awe, the room was darkly lit, but somehow they could still see everything clearly. It was decorated with rich dark wood furniture and plush leather seating to match, the windows lit green showing the dark lake that they had come across on their trip to the school.

As they filed in and gathered next to the large fireplace which held the Slytherin crest above it, Gemma gestured around the room, drawing the groups attention to it once again, where tapestries held the likenesses of noble looking witches and wizards, “This is your common room, take note, do not give our password to anyone in another house, do not bring anyone of another house here, this is _our_ sanctuary.” Standing taller, she looked at each of them, her eyes managing only the slightest flicker over Holly, “It has been _our_ sanctuary for more than seven centuries.”

Gemma let that hang in the air for a moment before turning towards two hallways behind the first year group, “Now, those hallways are your dorms, each room holds two students, and you may choose your dormmate,” a rush of muttering broke out among them, but the older girl continued “boys are on the left, girls are on the right, I will give you time to figure this out now, but you will not be retiring for the night just yet.”

With that she began inspecting her nails, a clear dismissal for the moment, and Holly took this moment to approach Pansy “Heir Parkinson, I wondered if you would do me the pleasure of being my dormmate, as you are someone I am most acquainted with after Draco’s introductions” The other girl gave a sly wink before flipping her hair slightly.

“Why of course Heir Potter, I believe it would do you great good to be close to us Slytherin girls, we’ll have you trained up properly in no time, I’ll introduce you to the rest once we are free for the night” the small group of girls around Pansy seemed put out, but began chattering to each other quickly following the girls statement. The only lingering look was from a blonde girl Holly remembered as Daphne Greengrass, who seemed to scrutinize her before agreeing to bunk with a quiet dark-haired girl next to them.

With a clearing of her throat, Gemma caught their attention once more, “with that settled, you will get your class schedules tomorrow morning at breakfast which begins at six am, but I expect you all their no later than seven thirty” taking a pause at their collective sigh of relief, she continued on.

“And lastly introducing you to our head of house, Professor Severus Snape, if there is ever something that you need a professor for, or that us prefects cannot help you with, I expect you to go to Professor Snape” She gave them another calculating look, “be aware that he does not tolerate much for childish antics or petty arguments, but if there is ever a moment when you truly need an adult to help you, he will be there.” She waited for a beat, letting them take in the information before she moved on, giving one last look over the group, she nodded her head as if in a decision.

“Now, I’ll let Professor Snape speak to you before we go to bed, please give him your undivided attention, and remember everything mentioned.” She stepped back as their attention was drawn back to the dormitory entrance, where a tall figure stood in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! thank you for your comments and amazing patience, I have done a little editing to the earlier chapters, but nothing that is too out of place or would cause you to need to re-read them. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope to have the next one out to you sooner than later as I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year!


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